J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter play 'Cursed Child' is an official sequel
The Pottermore site reveals that J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is the eighth story in the series. The upcoming play will focus on Harry and his youngest son Albus.
Get ready for some pretty exciting news, Wizards and Muggles. Pottermore announced Friday that not only is the upcoming new "Harry Potter" play definitely not a prequel, it's actually a sequel.
"="" fan="" site"="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="16defdc0-c5b9-414f-83da-1114feec4bff" slug="pottermore-gets-a-shiny-revamp-new-harry-potter-backstory" link-text="J.K. Rowling's official " section="news" title="Pottermore site gets a shiny revamp, new 'Harry Potter' backstory" edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key" api="{"id":null,"slug":null,"contentType":null,"edition":"us","topic":{},"metaData":{}}"> revealed that " Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is officially the eighth story in the series, and will pick up where the epilogue in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" left off. The epilogue takes place 19 years after the main events in the book, and ends with Harry dropping off his sons James and Albus at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters as they head to Hogwarts.
The story will focus primarily on Harry and his youngest son, Albus, who is struggling with the weight of the family legacy. The synopsis for the show reads as follows.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
The play will be divided into two parts, and telling the story as theater instead of a movie means Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany will focus more on characters and less on the more magical elements afforded by film special effects, according to the producer. There will be some magical elements, producer Sonia Friedman told The Daily Mail, but the magic will be done "in our unique way."
UK author Rowling originally announced the play on Twitter to mark the 18th anniversary of the publication of her first novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
Between 1997 and 2007, Rowling published seven novels recounting the adventures of boy wizard Harry Potter and his pals at the Hogwarts wizarding school. The books have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, with eight film adaptations making more than $7 billion at the box office.
The play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" will open on London's West End in the summer of 2016. Priority tickets for both parts of the show go on sale on October 28, and then will go on sale to the general public on October 30. Tickets start at £20 (about $30, AU$45) for preview performances starting June 7, or £30 (about $45, AU$65) for the main performances starting August 3.
You can sign up for priority tickets or learn more about the show on the official "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" website.