Everything we know about ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

The Harry Potter fandom is abuzz with the latest news surrounding the upcoming Harry Potter play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

With so many comments and a Hagrid-size ton of information circulating through the web right now, we figured that we’d compile everything we know about the play for you right here.

From the writer to the concept, here’s what we’ve got on Cursed Child:

It’s a play, not a book.

Even though the play was announced back in 2013 (and was in the works for about a year before the announcement), some people are confused and think that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is “another Harry Potter book.” It’s not. It’s very definitely (siriusly) a stage play. It will play at the Palace Theatre in London come July 2016. Preview plays are expected to begin in May 2016. J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author, said the following in a press release:

The story only exists because the right group of people came together with a brilliant idea about how to present Harry Potter on stage. I’m confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way.

As of now, no plans to show the play beyond London have been announced (*fingers crossed!*)

The play is a sequel to the books.

Rowling confirmed last June that Cursed Child was “not a prequel,” despite earlier reports. Promotion for the book is subtitling it “the eight story.” Some are still having a hard time grasping this idea. Rowling responded to those skeptics this morning:

@jk_rowling I'm still seeing comments asking if #CursedChild is a prequel. What would you like to say to those people?

— Tyler (@OldGoldenSnitch) October 23, 2015

That I love them dearly. https://t.co/ykuWwKXNtJ

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 23, 2015

The play takes place 19 years after the books.

One of the play’s taglines is, “Nineteen Years Later,” sharing the same text as the title of the Epilogue found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“It’s safe to say that The Cursed Child picks up from where The Deathly Hallows ended,” said the play’s producer, Sonia Friedman.

It sounds like the story will take place following the epilogue in Deathly Hallows. The epilogue of the final book, coincidentally, takes place September 1st of next year.

The Cursed Child is Albus Severus Potter.

According to the original report from the Daily Mail, Harry Potter’s 11-year-old son, Albus Severus Potter, is the Cursed Child. The play is said to focus on both Albus and Harry. You can read the play’s synopsis here:

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.

Maybe all was not well?

It’s a 2-part play.

It’s no longer only a trend in movies! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be told through two separate plays: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II. Here’s more information from the website:

This new play presents the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. Because of the epic nature of the story it could not fit into the performance time of a traditional single play and consequently will be told in two Parts.

Some ticket options will allow you to see both parts back to back, others will let you see them on consecutive days, or you can just watch each one individually.

Still confused? Pottermore has released the following guide to help you with buying tickets for both parts:

J.K. Rowling didn’t write the play.

What!? That’s right. J.K. Rowling didn’t actually write the play. While she created the story (so the plot, characters, and settings will presumably be from her), the play was actually written by British playwright Jack Thorne. Thorne is known for his play When You Cure Me as well as the TV show ‘Skins’. John Tiffany will direct the play. Regardless, Rowling was heavily involved in the creation process of the play–so while she might not have placed the ink to the page, it’s still her story.

Tickets go on sale next week.

Priority ticket sales open as early as this Wednesday (October 28). You can register for priority tickets online at the website (there’s still about a day left at the time of this writing). If you don’t register for priority booking, public sales will open October 30th.

After the show opens in July, tickets are expected to cost £15 per part.

Early casting has already begun.

The cast will be made up of about 30 different cast members. According to the Daily Mail, early casting has already begun, but nobody has been cast yet. Rehearsals are expected to begin this February or March.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

We’re not yet sure what to make of it. While it’s exciting to see a new Harry Potter story, we just hope that it has Rowling’s magic touch like the books did!

In related news, we spotted this logo on the Cursed Child website. Might this be used to brand Rowling’s future Harry Potter-related works (like ‘Fantastic Beasts’)?