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'The Casual Vacancy' and 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' adaptations will air on the BBC

'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' episodes will air in 2013, while 'The Casual Vacancy' series is expected in 2014.

'The Casual Vacancy' was released this fall, while 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' first appeared in 2004.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Two blockbuster literary adaptations will be coming to the BBC over the next couple years, as noted by Shelf Awareness.

The channel BBC One has ordered episodic adaptations of the novel “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling and of the novel “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke. The number of episodes for “The Casual Vacancy” is as yet undecided, but the series will air in 2014, while “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” will consist of six episodes and air in 2013. BBC One commissioned the adaptation of "The Casual Vacancy" with BBC Drama.

“The Casual Vacancy” is a contemporary novel that follows the election for a town government seat, while “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell ” follows the lives of two magicians who live in Europe during the Napoleonic period – an era when the practice of magic is alive and well.

There was the possibility that “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell” would be turned into a film released by New Line Cinemas after the studio optioned the rights to the book in 2005, but the project has never materialized.

Rowling will serve as a consultant on the “The Casual Vacancy” miniseries, according to the BBC.

“I’m thrilled that the BBC has commissioned The Casual Vacancy,” the author 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.”

BBC One is currently the home of another literary adaptation, the critically well-received TV show “Sherlock,” which is based on the novels by writer Arthur Conan Doyle.

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