Michael Gambon, Keeley Hawes and Rory Kinnear amongst cast announced!

Michael Gambon, Keeley Hawes, Rory Kinnear, Monica Dolan, Julia McKenzie, and newcomer Abigail Lawrie have been confirmed to star in BBC One/HBO’s three-part adaptation of JK Rowling’s, The Casual Vacancy.

The Casual Vacancy – which was released in 2012 and has sold more than six million copies worldwide – centres on Pagford, a seemingly idyllic English village. Behind the pretty façade, however, is a town at war: rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils.

Gambon (Quirke) is set to play Howard Mollison, owner of the Pagford delicatessen, with Julia McKenzie (Notes On A Scandal) playing his wife Shirley. Howard’s son Miles is being played by Rufus Jones (W1A) with his wife Samantha Mollison being played by Keeley Hawes (Line Of Duty). Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful) is to play Barry Fairbrother, Keeley Forsyth (Coronation Street) is playing Terri Weedon with newcomer Abigail Lawrie cast as her daughter Krystal Weedon.

Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult ), will play Tess Wall with Simon McBurney (Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy) playing her husband Colin Wall. Richard Glover (A Field In England) has been cast to play Simon Price alongside Marie Critchley (In The Flesh) playing his wife Ruth Price. Michelle Austin (Secrets & Lies) will play Kay Bawden.

The drama is adapted by Sarah Phelps (Great Expectations, The Crimson Field) and produced by Bronte Film and Television (independent production company run by JK Rowling and Neil Blair).

The miniseries is produced by Ruth Kenley-Letts (The Tunnel) and will be directed by Jonny Campbell (In the Flesh).

Production on The Casual Vacancy begins on 7 July in South West England.