THERE could be a new TV series featuring Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus, to be written by one of Scotland's acclaimed playwrights, next year.

Gregory Burke, who wrote Black Watch, the much-lauded National Theatre of Scotland play, is working on the script for the new television version of Rankin's famous character, the writer said.

Rankin, speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said Burke was working on a new drama based on his books.

The writer said that it will a long-form drama, with stories depicted over several hours of television.

Burke, he said, would like to depict the famous detective aged in his 40s or his 50s, so it may be that Ken Stott, the actor who last played the character, will not be suitable for the part, and a new actor will play Rebus, the third to do so.

Rankin said: "A production company [Eleventh Hour Films] came to me last year and said they would do it properly, over six, eight, ten hours.

"They've taken on board a writer who is very good, and he is working on it just now,

"He wants to have a young Rebus, a Rebus who is in his 40s or 50s, so I don't know whether it would be a project for Ken Stott or not. "But if it happens at all it will happen next year, not this year."

READ MORE: Rebus moves from page to stage

He added: "The writer is called Gregory Burke, who did Black Watch, a fantastic play that was done by the National Theatre of Scotland.

"Gregory also did a great film...he is very good at looking at great macho characters, and looking at what they do to the world, and what they do to him.

"So let's see. I am leaving him to it."

Rankin said that he got the adaptation rights back for the book after the previous two screen versions of the character.

Rebus is to return in a new book to be published this autumn, In a House of Lies, the 22nd Rebus novel.

Rebus is also to tread the boards: he has been adapted for the stage by the Scottish playwright Rona Munro, for a new play called Long Shadows.

It will premiere at the Birmingham Rep in September before coming to Edinburgh's King's Theatre in October.

Charles Lawson will star as Rebus, Cathy Tyson as Siobhan Clarke and John Stahl as Cafferty, and it will have an original story.

READ MORE: Rona Munro on the new Rebus play

Rankin said he had been thrilled to work with Munro, who wrote the James Plays for the National Theatre of Scotland, on the play.

The author said: "Rebus is retired, but we have simplified it a wee bit, there is no dog.

"I think it's great, it reads well and they've just started rehearsing it.

"Charles Lawson [who is from Northern Ireland] assures me he can do a great Scottish accent."

Rankin added: "Rona is great on character, great on the internal workings of them.

"I did stretch me, to think of these characters in a different way."

He described the original process of getting his most famous character to the screen as a difficult one.

Rankin said: "The TV adaptation of Rebus, to get Rebus on the TV it was long and fraught.

"John Hannah did it, and bless him for doing it, the only reason it got made was that he said he would do it, and then he went off to Hollywood and Ken Stott took over.

"Fans were happier with Ken Stott, physically they felt he was a much better fit for Rebus, but it would never have got made in the first place without John Hannah.

"Then it went off the screens for a while, although it still pops up on Alibi or ITV3 late at night.

"Increasingly they were using different stories to the books, and took it down from two hours to one hour, and I was not happy with that, so I got the rights back."

Rankin also welcomed the appointment of Iain Livingstone as the new Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

He said: "A few years too late, but he's a good guy, as far as I know, hopefully he will be good for Police Scotland."