It’s fair to say J.K. Rowling has never been one to stint on storytelling, but her Cormoran Strike crime novels might just take the cake.
First, of course, there was Harry Potter, which over the course of 4,224 pages and eight movies established Daniel Radcliffe as a Hollywood star. And then a decade of Eddie Redmayne‘s diary was filled by her decision to spread the Fantastic Beasts story over no fewer than FIVE movies.
The latest star to benefit from Ms. Rowling’s largesse is The Musketeers‘s Tom Burke, who stars as the eponymous hero in Strike, the series based on the three crime books she’s so far written under the pen name “Robert Galbraith.”
…”So far” being the operative phrase here. In an interview with the BBC published yesterday (August 29), Rowling let slip some news about the future of Strike that must have had Tom’s agent popping champagne corks.
“It’s always slightly unnerving,” she said of adapting her work for the screen, “because you are obviously giving up control, so you’d better really trust the people you’re working with. That’s key for me. Who am I going to be working with?
“For Strike that was even more important because literally, the first time I met Tom [Burke], I said, ‘Well I hope to God you do enjoy playing this character because I think I’ve got at least another 10 books in me, so you could be locked in for quite a few years here.'”
Yep. You read that right. 10 more books. Now, math was never our strong point, but we make that a total of thirteen.
Looks like we better settle in and make ourselves comfortable. Strike has already started airing in the U.K., with three hour-long episodes covering the plot of The Cuckoo’s Calling, another two planned to tell the story of the second book The Silkworm, and a further two for The Career of Evil.
Reviews so far have been good:
Holliday Grainger is spot on as Robyn but I never imagined Cormoran Strike as handsome as Tom Burke… No complaints though! #cuckooscalling
— Sarah V (@slushonyourface) August 27, 2017
Told you it was good. Tom Burke & Holliday Grainger both put in superb performances. Bring on tomorrow's episode! #Strike #TheCuckoosCalling
— Elliot Gonzalez (@elliot_gonzalez) August 27, 2017
First 2 episodes of #Strike have been amazing! Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are phenomenal in their roles. @jk_rowling
— Taylor (@tayburgh7) August 29, 2017
Wondering when it’ll be our turn? Well, never fear! Strike is due to air on HBO in the U.S. at some point, though the exact date has not yet been confirmed.
Are you in it for the long haul when Strike comes to America?