By Lacy Baugher for Drama on February 2nd, 2015

Watch: The First Trailer for J.K. Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy'

"The Casual Vacancy" book cover. (Photo: LIttle, Brown and Company)
"The Casual Vacancy" book cover. (Photo: LIttle, Brown and Company)
The BBC has released the first trailer for its upcoming adaptation of J.K. Rowling'sThe Casual Vacancy, the Harry Potter author's first attempt at a novel for adults following the conclusion of her blockbuster teen wizard series. The drama stars a bevy of recognizable British faces, including Potter film franchise alum Michael Gambon alongside Line of Duty’s Keeley Hawes, The Hollow Crown’s Rory Kinnear, Appropriate Adult’s Monica Dolan, Miss Marple’s Julia McKenzie and more. 

The story focuses on the small English town of Padford, where a special election is being held following the sudden death of a local council member. Drama ensues, as squabbles amongst the townspeople erupt - rich vs. poor, teenagers vs. parents, wives vs. husbands, teachers vs. pupils - and secrets are revealed. 

"Everyone's got skeletons rattling in their cupboards," intones the clip's voiceover. 

Watch the trailer for yourselves below: 

To be fair: I wasn't much of a fan of this novel, though I dearly and deeply loved the entire Potter series and think Rowling is a terribly talented writer. That said, I think this is actually a story that might actually work better in a visual medium, as a version that's adapted for the screen is naturally going to have to cut or rework some of the more tedious bits in the novel. So, fingers crossed. Plus, with a cast like this, how can I not at least give it a try?

No word yet on when (or where) we might see The Casual Vacancy screen here in America, but given the heft of J,K. Rowling's involvement, it seems unlikely that it won't see the light of day here at some point. We'll keep you posted.

Thoughts on this adaptation? Are any of you fans of the book? Curious to see if anyone else is looking forward to this.  

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on February 2nd, 2015
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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    An all-star British cast has been announced to take part in the TV adaptation of author J.K. Rowling’s best selling The Casual Vacancy, led by none other than Dumbledore himself. Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon is set to star, alongside such notable and fabulous faces as Line of Duty’s Keeley Hawes, The Hollow Crown’s Rory Kinnear, Appropriate Adult’s Monica Dolan, Miss Marple’s Julia McKenzie and more.

    Casual Vacancy was Rowling’s first novel for adults after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, and focuses on the small English town of Padford, where a special election is being held following the sudden death of a local council member. Drama ensues, as squabbles amongst the townspeople erupt - rich vs. poor, teenagers vs. parents, wives vs. husbands, teachers vs. pupils.

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  • J.K. Rowling Novel The Casual Vacancy to Get BBC Adaptation

    While it’s still a bit strange to talk about news involving J.K. Rowling that isn’t tied to boy wizards or Quidditch, fans of the Harry Potter author will be pleased to know that her latest novel (and first for adults) The Casual Vacancy will be adapted for television by the BBC and broadcast in 2014.

    Little is known at this juncture about what a Casual Vacancy series will look like – things like number and length of episodes are apparently going to be sorted out along the way as the development process gets going. Rowling is said to be “consulting closely” with the BBC on the upcoming adaptation, so odds that it will remain fairly faithful to the novel are high.

    "I’m thrilled that the BBC has commissioned 'The Casual Vacancy,'" Rowling said in a statement. "I always felt that, if it were to be adapted, this novel was best suited to television and I think the BBC is the perfect home."

    The Casual Vacancy is a social satire centered on a local election following a sudden death in the small English town of Pagford The novel received mixed reviews upon its release last Fall, but was an instant global best seller nevertheless. Personally, I’ve not read it yet, but it’s on my list of things to get to at some point. (Got reviews? Tell me!)

    There are no plans as yet to currently air The Casual Vacancy in the United States as yet, but thanks to the sheer size of author’s fanbase, it would seem a fairly safe bet that we’ll see this series here at some point in the future.

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