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Karin Slaughter fans can rest assured that Sara Linton is on Will Trent‘s radar.
Though it’d be premature to report that the ABC procedural is planning a trip to Grant County, series star/producer Ramón Rodríguez tells TVLine that Slaughter’s other book protagonist is frequently brought up in conversation with his fellow producers. More specifically, they discuss when (and how) they should introduce Sara.
“We’ve talked about it,” the actor confirms during an in-studio interview. “You know, it’s a big deal. We don’t take that lightly. It’s such a big character in the books, and would potentially be a big character in the series, so we want to be really mindful [about how we do that].
“We have an amazing cast, as well, so you have to interweave things in a way,” Rodríguez continues, alluding to the complexity of inserting Sara into a well-established ensemble. “Whenever you’re entering another piece, and it’s a big piece, you want to be really smart about it.”
For the uninitiated: The Will Trent book series was preceded by Slaughter’s Grant County series. “Set in the fictional town of Heartsdale, Ga., in the fictional Grant County, the narrative takes place from the perspective of three main characters: Sara Linton, the town’s pediatrician and part-time coroner; her ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, who is chief of police; and his subordinate, detective Lena Adams,” according to the official description.
Sara Linton was first introduced in 2001’s “Blindsighted,” and would later cross over to Slaughter’s Will Trent series, beginning with its third installment, 2009’s “Undone.” Eventually, Will and Sara are romantically involved.
Now that Season 2 of ABC’s Will Trent has wrapped production — three episodes remain, which Rodríguez says culminate in a “really intense” finale — “we’ll actually start having those conversations about Season 3 — what that’s going to look like, and what those arcs are going to be, and I’m sure the [Sara Linton] conversation will come up,” he says. “How do you bring that character into this world? Who might play that character? I’m sure there are a lot of ideas out there, but it’s something we are definitely mindful of…. We just want to make sure that we do it right.
“Our showrunners, Liz [Heldens] and Dan [Thomsen], and all of the producers, want to be really smart about how you bring in such a big character and do it justice,” Rodríguez stresses. “If and when, the timing of that is key…. There are people who are fans of the books that want to see that [and] there are people who have joined the show who have never read the books, and are now maybe going to read the books. I know there’s a lot of chatter about it, though.”
Watch Part 3 of TVLine’s Q&A with Ramón Rodríguez — Parts 1 and 2 are also embedded below — then hit the comments and let us know if you’d like to see Sara Linton appear in the Will Trent TV series.
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I’ve read all of Karin Slaughter’s books. Sarah Linton most definitely needs to be brought in. It bothers me that Angie is way nicer in this series than she was in the books too.
Yes! I really love the show but because I’ve read the books Angie’s character really bothers me. I also wonder if people that haven’t read the books will like Sara when she is introduced, since so many are shipping Will and Angie.
Me too, and of course the killer in the first book (trying to be spoiler free for those that haven’t read the books).
I’ve read all of the books and I’d love to see Grant County and Sarah have it’s own series.
I get the appeal of a Grant County series but I think the ending for a certain key character (book readers know who) would be rather upsetting.
NO! I’ve never liked Sara, and I was quite happy with the lack of her on this show. We’ve changed other characters (ormestead is quite likable, for instance). Just leave Sara OUT of the mix!!!
I thought I was the only one who couldn’t stand the character !!! Her, her ex-husband, her nephew, and Lana. The whole lot of them
THANK YOU!! Sarah is insufferable and would ruin the show, especially because Angie is a completely different character than the book.
I have found my person! Sara in Grant County or sara alone is OK but Sara with willow in the will trent books has been a no for me. And Karin only writes for Sara as a female. Will has been sidelined in his own series.
I love Will Trent! I did love Sara in the books and Angie was awful in the books. Erika does a dynamite job playing Angie in the series, which is all around wonderfully done. It can’t be exact but it would give us another dimension to Will and to the series.
The book that introduced Will to us readers also featured Sara. Some of that has been reworked into a very different arc. Personally, I like Sara but her character might be difficult to translate into hour long episodes.
This is not true. The book that introduced will features ANGIE and she is the one on to the killer. I will never understand the decision to turn her into what she became after how good she was and I am glad they corrected it.
No. I’m hoping Will and Angie will continue. It’s not right that the TV only fans have to be subjected to an interloper.
And a Mary sue one at that. Since they decided to call oremwood by the same name and make him different leave Sara out of this. It would sideline so many people the same way it does in the books
Will’s connection to Angie, and their backgrounds and how they navigate together make it interesting. If Will has a romance w someone else, I will lose interest in the show. It will lose its differentiating factor to me, and I probably will stop watching.
I’ve been waiting patiently for Sara to arrive! Will and Sara- why I watch Will Trent!
Yes
I’ve read all the series and books
She is an integral part of the series and would be an injustice to the entire story being told!!!
Now…. Who will play the part … She’s a very strong character….. Huuuum!
I love the books as well but agree that Sara is not a necessary character for the tv series. Will & Angie’s fateful childhoods connect them for better & for worse so let them continue their emotional journey.
Sara’s character WOULD make a great series though!
Away from Will I agree
Yes, they completely transform Angie, because in the books she’s a pretty unsympathetic sociopath and you’re relieved when she dies.
Nope, I would hate to see how badly she would be represented. They already screwed up the main characters by ethnicity. I love the books. Hate the tv series.
While I enjoy both the books and the series, the series is only very loosely based on the books. They are VERY different. Some characters are literally unrecognizably changed and some key characters are entirely absent. I decided to just let go of having them be on the same track and that allowed me to enjoy the series more
Exactly
I agree. I enjoy the show very much but in order to do so, I had to put the books completely out of my head. My husband who never read the books doesn’t have this issue.
Will Trent is a great show
Have no interest in this tv adaptation of one of my favorite book series. Casting is disappointing and won’t be watching at all.
Indeed bring in Sara Linton. Too many changes from the books’ characters and storyline have already occurred. Though the series is enjoyable, it lacks the grit and heart of the novels. Will needs to be with Sara and not Angie. It also appears that the series writers seem to have forgotten Ormewood was a crooked cop and killer and Angie, though she shares a dysfunctional past with Will, was not a well-liked character. I can deal with the fact that the series stars look nothing like the books’ characters, but please do not continue to stray from the storylines and characters’ traits. Thank you!
They have to bring Sara Linton in. On the show Angie is too good a person
In the books she really is a piece of work. So bad forWill