J.K. Rowling's Cormoran Strike novels, written under her pen name Robert Galbraith, will become a BBC One crime series. The Telegraph reported that The Cuckoo's Calling will be the first book adapted for BBC One, with filming set to begin early next year. Rowling will collaborate on the project, and casting for the lead role is under way.
On Twitter, Rowling posted: "My friend @RGalbraith's first novel is going to be a TV drama on @BBCOne. He's very excited, but expressing it with characteristic silence."
"I am exactly as excited as he is," she said, adding that she felt compelled to "spread the word" for her "friend" Galbraith: "I've got to--he's hopeless, he can't even remember his Twitter password."
Danny Cohen, director of BBC television, said: "It's a wonderful coup for the BBC to be bringing J.K. Rowling's latest books to the screen. With the rich character of Cormoran Strike at their heart, these dramas will be event television across the world."
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An international cast is set for BBC & Carnival's miniseries The Last Kingdom, based on Bernard Cornwell's book series the Saxon Stories, Deadline.com reported. The cast includes Alexander Dreymon, Rutger Hauer, Matthew Macfadyen, David Dawson, Emily Cox, Ian Hart, Tobias Santelmann, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Peter Gantzler, Joseph Millson, Alexandre Willaume, Rune Temte and Henning Valin Jakobsen.
BBC's Ben Stephenson said The Last Kingdom "will feel like nothing else on television, with all of the scale and intrigue of the best fantasy stories but the reality of fact."
