HBO’s confirmed the premiere dates for the miniseries based on J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy and the network’s released a trailer for the three-part series. The Casual Vacancy will premiere on April 29, 2015, with parts one and two airing back-to-back beginning at 8pm ET/PT. Part three will debut the following night at 8pm.
The miniseries is a joint production of HBO and BBC, directed by Jonny Campbell from Sarah Phelps’ adaptation. Commenting on Phelps’ adaptation of her novel, Rowling said, “Sarah Phelps is a writer at the top of her game. Having met Sarah, and discussed the television adaptation of The Casual Vacancy, I was happy and confident to hand over the job of crafting my novel for the small screen. Sarah has done a great job and I am delighted with how it has turned out.”
“For me, Krystal Weedon (Abigail Lawrie) is Tess of the d’Urbervilles,” said Phelps. “What J.K. Rowling is doing is telling one of those big 19th-century stories where we see someone battling their social, political, and economic environment. Krystal is an absolute, contemporary Tess.”
The cast includes Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie, Keeley Hawes, Rufus Jones, Rory Kinnear, Emily Bevan, Simon McBurney, Monica Dolan, Emilia Fox, Lolita Chakrabarti, Silas Carson, Richard Glover, Marie Critchley, Keeley Forsyth, Hetty Baynes Russell, and newcomer Abigail Lawrie.
The Plot:
The Casual Vacancy centers on Pagford, a seemingly idyllic English village with a cobbled market square and ancient abbey. Behind the pretty façade, however, is a town at war: rich vs. poor, teenagers vs. parents, wives vs. husbands, teachers vs. pupils.
Watch the trailer:
