There are very few published works by J.K. Rowling that have not been adapted to the screen, but Rowling’s series about the mysterious Cormoran Strike have been unrealized for quite some time. Until now.
Rowling’s Cormoran Strike book series debuted in 2013 with The Cuckoo’s Calling, but it was published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The real author of the crime novel quickly leaked out, but J.K. has continued to write the series under the name Galbraith. The sequels, The Silkworm and Career of Evil, were published in 2014 and 2015, with another expected on the way in 2017.
The series follows Cormoran Strike, a man crippled from war who becomes a private detective in Central London. Strike’s rough but caring character is balanced out by his assistant Robin Ellacott, who helps him solve mysterious and deadly cases the police cannot handle.
In a report by Variety, the Cormoran Strike series will be transformed into a new television series for BBC One. Currently, the show will be split into three parts for The Cuckoo’s Calling, two parts for The Silkworm, and two parts for the last novel, Career of Evil.
It has also been announced that Tom Burke is confirmed for the starring role. The actor has previously appeared on two of BBC’s series based off novels, War & Peace and The Musketeers. Burke has issued a statement, which details his reaction on the news of his casting:
“I’m overjoyed to be immersing myself in the role of Cormoran Strike, who is as complex as he is larger than life. I know I’m joining an extraordinary team of people on a series that for me is peppered with moments of real emotional depth and meticulously grounded in the page-turning momentum of these novels. Cormoran’s world is rich and raw.”
J.K. Rowling has also expressed her approval for Burke’s casting, noting that he is a “massively talented actor who’ll bring the character to perfect life.”
Rowling’s production company, the aptly-named Bronte Film & TV, is producing the series. Rowling herself will executive produce alongside her agent and business partner Neil Blair, Elizabeth Kilgarriff, and Ruth Kenley-Letts.