London: The murky, dangerous exploits of a one-legged, impoverished soldier turned private detective are unlikely to entice millions of children into the multiplex or, come to that, to sire a popular and lucrative studio tour. But they may provide J K Rowling (pictured), with her next box office smash.
A fortnight after the Harry Potter author was inadvertently unmasked as the pseudonymous author of the thriller The Cuckoo’s Calling, the novel has attracted the interest of a number of Hollywood studios .
According to the online magazine Deadline, Warner Bros — which released the multimillion-dollar Potter films — is leading the pack, banking on its established relationship with Rowling.
Several studios are understood to be bidding, but a spokesman for Rowling declined to discuss the matter, saying only: “I’m afraid that we’re not commenting on the film rights situation for The Cuckoo’s Calling.”
After the revelation, the book, which Rowling wrote as Robert Galbraith, shot to No. 1 in the UK hardback fiction charts last week, selling 17,662 copies in seven days.
Rowling’s writing as Galbraith has been compared to that of Lee Child, whose novel One Shot was recently made into a Hollywood film, Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike.
The Cuckoo’s Calling follows the private investigator Cormoran Strike as he investigates the death of a supermodel.
Soon, according to the blurb, “the case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.”
Galbraith’s secret emerged after one of Rowling’s lawyers divulged it to his wife’s best friend. She tweeted the news, which was picked up by the Sunday Times.
The revelation has had a dramatic effect. Rowling’s publishers have printed 140,000 copies; before Galbraith’s cover was blown, The Cuckoo’s Calling had sold just 1,500 copies.Guardian News
