Ready for espionage, a secret society, and supernatural abilities? STARZ brings Daniel O’Malley’s urban fantasy novel to life with the premiere of their new series, The Rook.
The Rook is based on Australian author Daniel O’Malley’s 2012 urban fantasy novel of the same name. The new series tells the story of Myfanwy Thomas, a woman who wakes up in the rain beside London’s Millennium Bridge with no memory of who she is and no way to explain the circle of latex-gloved dead bodies splayed around her. When Myfanwy discovers she is a high ranking official in the Checquy, Britain’s last truly secret service for people with paranormal abilities, she will have to navigate the dangerous and complex world of the agency to uncover who wiped her memory – and why she is a target.
At the Checquy, Myfanwy is known as a Rook, while the other Rook is actually four “siblings” named Gestalt who share a hive mind with one persona shared across them. Meanwhile, Lady Farrier, or Linda, is the head of the Checquy, but she is soon challenged by Bishop Conrad Grantchester.
As for powers, in the book series, Myfanwy can control the bodies of others with her mind, Gestalt’s is their hive mind, Lady Farrier can walk through another person’s dreams, and Bishop Grantchester can create and emit chemical compounds.
At a TCA panel back in February, executive producer Stephen Garrett spoke about the series. “What drew us all to this is that it’s a spy show with supernatural elements,” Garrett said. “We’re [the British] naturally duplicitous, and we love secrets. If you’re a spy, you can’t tell your friends or your loved ones what it is you do. If you have superpowers, you can’t tell your friends or your loved ones what you have.”
The series previously came to life with the aid of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, who was showrunner, however, she exited early in production as she had a “different take” on the series which naturally resulted in creative differences. Now, the current showrunners are Liza Zwerling (FlashForward) and Karyn Usher (Prison Break).
Starring Emma Greenwell (Shameless) as Myfanwy Thomas, Jon Fletcher (The Messengers) as the twins Teddy Gestalt and Alex Gestalt, Ronan Raftery (The Terror) as Robert Gestalt, Catherine Steadman (Downton Abbey) as Eliza Gestalt, Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck) as Lady Farrier, Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) as Monica Reed, Adrian Lester (Hustle) as Conrad Grantchester, Shelley Conn (Mistresses) as Danielle Wulff, James D’Arcy (Agent Carter) as Dr. Andrew Bristol, Paula Patton (Somewhere Between) as the lead villain.
The Rook premieres Sunday June 30th at 8/7c on STARZ. The series will also be available weekly in Australia on Stan.
