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‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’: Five Things You Definitely Need To Know

By Mohit Priyadarshi
Published on: 22:59 PST, Feb 11, 2016

Great news, Potterheads — Harry Potter is coming back!

If you don’t know already, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, another story about the famed teen wizard who took on the evil lord Voldemort and in the process captured the imagination of a generation, is releasing this July, according to National Post.

This piece of news has been welcomed by Potter fans around the world (obviously!), who have desperately been waiting for the series’ British author, J.K. Rowling, to surprise them with another story. So what do we know about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child so far?

Well, a lot as it turns out, and so here are five things you should definitely know about the new book… it is not really a book.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a book, it is a play

There you go, I said it!

According to the Independent, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not a prequel, and it is definitely not a novel. In fact, such was the confusion surrounding the latest book after the news broke out that J.K. Rowling had to take to Twitter to clarify things up.

Albus Potter, Harry’s second son, is expected to be star of the play

Fans expect Harry’s second son, Albus, to be the star of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Potterheads have reached the conclusion based on a simple premise. In the epilogue of the final Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we were told that Harry married his school pal Ginny Weasley and had three children. The second of those, Albus, was starting at Hogwarts and Harry was telling him not to be nervous about it.

Moreover, J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the play will tell the “untold part” of Harry’s story, including the story of the lives of his murdered parents. The play will see him as an overworked Ministry of Magic employee and will pick up 19 years after that last scene at King’s Cross.

So it is only natural that fans expect Albus to take the story of our favorite wizard forward.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will play for the first time this summer at London’s gothic Palace Theater

J.K Rowling has confirmed that she is teaming up with writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany to present the crazily anticipated show, which will be told in two separate parts at London’s Palace Theater — a large and imposing red-brick structure that stands out amongst the other buildings in its vicinity — for the first time this summer.

It is being produced by Sonia Friedman, a British West End and Broadway theater produce, and Collin Callender, an English television, film, and theater producer working primarily in the United States.

The play stars Olivier Award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, English theater actor Jamie Parker as Harry, and film and TV actor Paul Thornley as Ron. The play will officially open on July 30, according to BBC.

The script of the play in book form will release on July 31 — Harry’s Birthday!

The script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will go on sale on July 31 — Harry’s and Rowling’s birthday, and it is going to be a massive, MASSIVE affair, as promised by Waterstones chief executive James Daunt.

“Younger booksellers now face, of course, the dubious prospect of their older colleagues rolling out war stories of Harry Potter launches for the next five months. On 31 July, we will put these into the shade.”

Releasing simultaneously with the opening of the play, the book will give Potterheads worldwide a chance to indulge once again in the adventures of their favorite wizard without having to be in London.

Little, Brown UK is publishing the book, and according to Guardian, it has already hit No. 1 on book charts a day after the announcement.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is going to be darker and more dangerous

Can it, really?

The synopsis of the play describes a world where Harry is an “overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic… grappling with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs,” while Albus has been left to “struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted” as both father and son learn that “sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places”.

Also, Jack Thorne — who is writing the play together with Rowling — is a fantastic playwright who loves to explore themes of loneliness and isolation. Fans can expect Albus to be a melancholy, burdened child who just has too much to live up to.

Will he be able to deal with his daddy’s famous past?

Only time will tell, but Harry Potter and the Cursed Child could turn out to be yet another phenomenon.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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