For Harry Potter fans still holding out for a new tale from the hero’s Wizarding World, their long wait has ended.
Little, Brown Book Group UK, the publisher of the beloved franchise, announced Wednesday that it will publish “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — the eighth story in the series — on July 31.
Scholastic, an American publisher, announced it will publish the book on the same date in the U.S.
But the book is not exactly a novel like its predecessors — rather, it’s the script for the forthcoming play of the same title, premiering in London on July 30.
The play is a sequel following Harry as a father of three working in the Ministry of Magic a few decades after the events of the seventh book,according to the play’s official website. It is a collaborative work of author J.K. Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, who directed “Once” on Broadway.
According to Pottermore, Rowling’s website dedicated to the Harry Potter universe, 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.”
A “definitive edition” will replace that initial version at a later date, according to the release.
Although Rowling has made no official announcement of her own, she retweeted the Little Brown post and responded jokingly to one follower’s question.
@JournoStephen @pottermore *hits Stephen hard over head with parts 1 and 2*
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 10, 2016
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” begins performances in late May at the London Palace Theatre. Tickets for the first four months of performances have already sold out.
By Connor Mannion
