Raise a glass of butterbeer in celebration: Harry Potter is coming to the stage!
J.K. Rowling announced on Friday that a new stage play called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will debut in London in 2016.
“It will tell a new story, which is the result of a collaboration between writer Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and myself,” Rowling wrote on Twitter. “I don’t want to say too much more, because I don’t want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans. However, I can say that it is not a prequel!”
Rowling also said that she believes once fans see the play, they will understand why she chose to tell the story on the stage as opposed to a new novel. The announcement came on the 18th anniversary of the publishing of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the first novel in the “Harry Potter” series that spawned the worldwide phenomenon and made Rowling a household name.
Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender‘s Playground Entertainment and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will go on public sale this autumn, details of which will be announced summer 2015 and will be shared on the official website in late July.
2016 will also see the release of a new film that takes place in the “Harry Potter” universe. Eddie Redmayne will play the lead in “Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them,” which follows a magizoologist searching the world for magical creatures. It is currently slated for release on Nov. 18 next year.
I’m also very excited to confirm today that a new play called Harry Potter and the #CursedChild will be opening in London next year.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
It will tell a new story, which is the result of a collaboration between writer Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and myself. #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
I don’t want to say too much more, because I don’t want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans. #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
However, I can say that it is not a prequel! #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
To answer one inevitable (and reasonable!) question – why isn’t #CursedChild a new novel? – I am confident that when audiences see the play
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
they will agree that it was the only proper medium for the story. #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
I’ve had countless offers to extend Harry’s story over the years, but Jack, John and Sonia Friedman are a dream team! #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015
It has been a huge pleasure to share with them (and soon, with you!) this untold part of Harry’s story. #CursedChild
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015