J.K. Rowling’s “Strike” Series Now Available on Cinemax and New Interview with Cast
Earlier this month, the television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s (under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith) Cormoran Strike series became available on Cinemax under the name C.B. Strike. The seven-part series begins with three parts dedicated to The Cuckoo’s Calling, followed by two parts each for the last two novels in the series, The Silkworm and Career of Evil.
Tom Burke, who plays Cormoran Strike, stated that, at the time, it felt like the whole of London was auditioning, but luckily for him, Rowling had already seen his work, when he starred as Dolokhovin in the BBC’s 2016 adaptation of War and Peace. Burke noted Rowling’s approval of his portrayal of Dolokhovin. She already had a love for the character and even used the name as inspiration for her character Antonin Dolohov in the Harry Potter series.
When discussing the role, Burke declined to ask Rowling any questions to help him prepare. He stated that from reading the books he felt he knew enough but that Rowling filled him in on anything she felt he needed to know. Burke described Strike as a contemporary London-based Philip Marlowe, a fictional private detective created by American-British novelist Raymond Chandler in 1939.
He’s a private investigator, he lost his lower leg in Afghanistan and he’s too much of an individual to go into any system. He’s very much his own boss and he’s constantly facing fear of bankruptcy and being thrown out of his premises on Denmark Street in Soho.
Holliday Grainger also spoke about her character, Robin, Strike’s secretary who is originally hired to help with paperwork but ends up becoming his partner in crime-solving.
When I first came on this job, one of the producers said they thought that J.K. Rowling had based Robin on some aspects of herself. But then, every woman I’ve spoken to since who loves the books think [sic] Robin’s just like them. She’s the woman you’d quite like to think that you are, practical and intelligent and grounded.
When Rowling created the new book series, she did so under a different name with hopes of creating something different from Harry Potter, but within months, people had figured it out. Now the series is a huge hit and fans are excited to see it adapted for television as well.
To watch J.K. Rowling’s C.B. Strike, check out Cinemax on Fridays at 10:00 pm EST/PST.
