“Potter” Fans Rejoice – The Sequel We’ve All Been Waiting For … Kind Of

By Victoria Robertson on February 22, 2016

I’ll open it here by saying that this is not going to be the eighth book you were hoping for, but nevertheless, an eighth book in the “Harry Potter” series is going to be released, and that right there is enough for celebration.

Photo Via: http://static.independent.co.uk

College students grew up reading the “Harry Potter” series, and most have seen the films in theaters from the beginning. And for those that didn’t, Freeform’s “Harry Potter” weekends got you caught up.

And while we’ve all wanted a sequel as a whole, the eighth book isn’t quite what we were asking for. Still, we’ll take it.

Titled “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the “Harry Potter” sequel isn’t going to follow the original format of the J.K. Rowling series. Instead, Rowling co-wrote this script-turned-book with playwright Jack Thorne and Broadway direction John Tiffany.

The book will be released in the UK by publisher Little Brown Book Group UK and in the U.S. by Scholastic. Both publishers will release the book on the same day: July 31, 2016.

Still, it would be wise to purchase the book knowing that it’s more of a script, and knowing that the format isn’t going to be quite what we are used to reading. While the story will pick up a few decades after the events of the “Deathly Hallows,” this sequel won’t be a true sequel to the series.

The story will still follow Harry, showing his life as a father of three and husband to Ginny as he works in the Ministry of Magic.

However, this script isn’t a standalone story; while it will be published as a book, it’s actually the script to a play of the same name that will begin showing in London on July 30 at the Palace Theater.

J.K. Rowling, a Twitter regular, frequently revealing “Harry Potter” character points and other new information about the series, hasn’t yet revealed a release post of her own about the text, but she has poked fun at a few fan questions.

According to Rowling’s “Harry Potter” site, Pottermore, the “print and digital editions will publish simultaneously after the play’s world premiere this summer, and will comprise of the version of the play script at the time of the play’s preview performances.”

As for a definitive version of the text, fans can expect to see that sometime later as a replacement for the initial release.

And as if all of this wasn’t enough, the play will also be a two-parter with preview performances beginning in May of this year! How are they going to do this? The plan is for viewers to see part one during the matinee showing, then the second part at night on the same day.

According to the play’s official website, here is a synopsis of the plot:

“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 idea of an eighth book is absolutely thrilling, even if it is a script for the play. And for broke college students that are unable to travel to see the play, being able to read the action following Harry Potter’s story long after the events of the last book is a true gift.

While it’s not exactly what fans were hoping to see in terms of another book, we’ll take what we can get.

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