Just in time for the 18th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K., J.K. Rowling has announced that she’s once again decided to elaborate on the story of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. But in contrast to all the other times she’s made that particular declaration—whether in regards to prequel movies, sequel stories, or big old theme parks—this time the wizarding world will be lucratively leaking out to fans via the medium of a West London stage. Rowling announced the new play, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, on her Twitter account late Thursday night, where she added that it was a collaboration between herself, writer Jack Thorne, and director John Tiffany.
This isn’t the first time Rowling’s hinted at reviving her scar-bearing boy hero on the stage; back in 2013, she posted on her web site about a planned theatrical partnership with producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, both of whom are credited on Cursed Child. Back then, the story was presented as being about a young, pre-magical Harry Potter, presumably because broom closets are a lot easier for set designers to build than constantly transforming magical castles.
Rowling was tight-lipped about plot details for the new story, only revealing that it “is not a prequel,” suggesting that the previous Little Orphan Harry direction might have been abandoned. She also told one Twitter correspondent that the play wouldn’t be a musical, thus denying the world genius new tunes like “The Butter Beer Is Better Here,” “Snape’s Lament (Creepy 30-Year-Long Crush Remix),” or “Hagrid’s Rap.”
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is set to open in 2016, with ticketing information soon to be available at http://www.harrypottertheplaylondon.com/.