BBC Pictures/HBOIt's a special day for J.K. Rowling fans. No, there isn't going to be a surprise Harry Potter sequel—the onscreen adaptation of her 2012 novel The Casual Vacancy is finally coming to HBO.
British audiences were treated to the miniseries earlier this month, and we've been waiting not-so-patiently since the reviews came pouring in. The movie, just like the book, follows the citizens in the small British town of Pagford after the death of one of their council members. Destructive marriages, family drama and political corruption abound in the aftermath of the funeral and elections, which means only one thing: addictive drama.
The Casual Vacancy doesn't actually hit our screens until April 29 and 30, but in the meantime we're gearing up by listing all the reasons we're looking forward to the spectacle. Oh and if that's not enough for you, check out the just-released trailer below.
1. It satisfies all our Anglophilia. The story is set in the most idyllic of villages (or, rather, seemingly idyllic) that is so quintessentially British: town squares, old churches, rolling green pastures. Plus, the entire thing is filled with British accents. Score.
2. The story is dark, dark, dark. There's death, sex, backstabbing, a (maybe) ghost and all sorts of anger. It's not your jolly bedtime story to be sure, but that's what's so good.
3. It has a twist ending. We're not going to tell you what it is, obviously, but just know that there's a major "Holy s--t" moment waiting for you.
4. The British version managed to move J.K. Rowling to tears. If that's not an endorsement we don't know what is.
5. Albus Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore! Sir Michael Gambon, who played the venerable professor in the Harry Potter movies, has a starring role as the leader of Pagford's parish council. He won't be wearing those infamous robes, but it's still as close as we're gonna get.