HBO has boarded BBC One’s upcoming drama The Casual Vacancy, which is based on the JK Rowling novel of the same name, as a co-producer and will air the drama in the US.
The Casual Vacancy was Rowling’s first novel post Harry Potter and was published in 2012. The book is set in Pagford, a seemingly idyllic English village with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils… Pagford is not what it first seems.
The series was put into development at BBC One back in December 2012, when the BBC’s flagship channel committed to the production of The Casual Vacancy with no screenwriter attached nor an agreed upon episode order. With HBO having now come on-board, its has been confirmed that The Casual Vacancy will consist of three one-hour episodes, written by Sarah Phelps.
J.K. Rowling’s indie Bronte Film and Television is producing with Rowling, her agent Neil Blair, Rick Senat and Paul Trijbits serving as executive producers. The Hour’s Ruth Kenley-Letts is on-board to serve as series producer, while In The Flesh helmer Jonny Campbell is attached to direct. Production begin this Summer in the South West of England. As part of a wider ranging agreement between Rowling and Warner Bros. that was signed in September 2013, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will handle global sales.
