Harlan Coben explains why his most popular character is yet to appear on screen
Not even Stanley Tucci fits the bill.
Harlan Coben is having a hell of a moment.
Not happy with taking over Netflix with the likes of The Stranger and Fool Me Once in recent years, the best-selling author has also made his mark on Prime Video with Harlan Coben's Shelter.
Yet for all of the shows that have been adapted for the screen so far, and for all of Richard Armitage’s many, many appearances in them, one character has notably been missing - Myron Bolitar.
The lead character in the hit novel series that began with Deal Breaker has a cult following, with many calling for his story to be told in a TV series.
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And, sure enough, there has been talk that a Bolitar adaptation is in development.
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Yet, when speaking to The Sunday Times, Coben revealed why he avoided bringing the character to life in live-action for so long, admitting he’s yet to spot the right actor for the former basketballer turned 'accidental detective'.
When asked by The Times if the always suave Stanley Tucci could step into the sneakers, Coben replied, "Yeah, big fan, but he’s a little smaller."
Bolitar is a notoriously tall, good-looking character in the books - a "faster, stronger, funny" version of the author, in fact - so finding a performer with that star power is bound to prove tricky.
The author admits he has a very specific idea of the fan favourite in his head, and it appears no one has fit the bill so far, with no name attached to Netflix's reported Bolitar series - sorry, Armitage, this is one role you ain’t getting.
As for future projects that are further along in development, Coben has teased plenty of exciting series yet to come.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, he revealed: "We still have a few [books] left! We’re doing one right now in Poland based off my book Just One Look, we’re filming and Netflix Poland is working on [it].
"Also working on one in South America, believe it or not."
It was recently announced that Slow Horses star Rosalind Eleazar will reportedly take on the central role of Kat Donovan in Missing You, too, while an adaptation of Run Away is also on the way.
Plenty more Coben to come, then.
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