J.K. Rowling is having a big year. In the nine years since the publication of “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows,” the enormously successful author has mostly tried to diversify, aside from the occasional Harry Potter-related tweet or tidbit on her Pottermore site. But she’s returned to the Wizarding World this year in a big way.
First, the summer saw the debut of “Harry Potter And The Cursed Child,” a stage play by Jack Thorne, based on a story written with Rowling, that tracks Harry’s son on a new adventure. And in November, she’ll extend the Potter-verse further with her screenwriting debut “Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them,” a prequel to the series set in 1920s New York. But that doesn’t mean that she’s given up on other ventures, and we’re soon to see her best-known creation that isn’t a wizard reach the screens.
According to The Telegraph, among others, a BBC TV adaptation of her Cormoran Strike detective novels (written by Rowling under the pen-name Robert Galbraith), originally announced back in 2014, is moving forwards, and has found a leading man in the shape of British actor Tom Burke. The 35-year-old actor might not be an immediately familiar name, but you’ve likely seen him around: he broke through in the original BBC version of “State Of Play” alongside Bill Nighy and James McAvoy, and has since been seen in things including “Donkey Punch,” “Only God Forgives,” “The Musketeers,” “The Invisible Woman” and “War & Peace,” to name but a few.
It’s certainly his most high-profile role, but Strike — a burly ex-military private detective who lost part of his leg in a bombing in Afghanistan — is a good fit for him, and his brooding presence has long deserved a showcase like this. The first book, “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” will be split into three one-hour installments, scripted by Ben Richards and with Julian Farino (“The Oranges”) attached to direct. The plot sees Strike investigating the supposed suicide of a supermodel in London, and we should see the first fruits of the series towards the end of next year .