British author J.K. Rowling's first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, will be adapted for the small screen, the BBC announced on Monday.
Public broadcaster BBC One and BBC Drama have commissioned the exclusive adaptation. The series is expected to air in 2014.
Rowling will collaborate "closely" on the project, with the number and length of episodes to be decided once the adaptation has formally begun.
"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," Rowling said in a statement.
The Casual Vacancy, which examines the clash of ideals, classes and generations in the seemingly sleepy English town of Pagford, is Rowling's first full-length book since she finished the phenomenally successful Harry Potter saga in 2007. It was published in September to mixed reviews but topped bestseller charts.
