J.K. Rowling to Executive Produce HBO Miniseries of The Casual Vacancy

Posted on April 24, 2014

J.K. Rowling has cut a deal with HBO to executive produce a miniseries version of her novel The Casual Vacancy. The satire set in the lovely small town of Pagford will be a three hour miniseries. HBO and BBC will co-produce the project. The novel was Rowling's first book after the Harry Potter series ended and was a bestseller. The book has sold around 6 million copies to date.

The story is perfect for an HBO adaptation. The beautiful town of Pagford may look picture perfect on the surface, but it's really a hotbed of scandal, snobbery and vicious backstabbing. Sarah Phelps (EastEnders, Great Expectations) will write the screenplay. Jonny Campbell is set as the director. The project will begin shooting this summer in the southwest of England. No casting news has been announced yet, but speculation is rife as to who will join the project.