Wicked! Almost nine years after the final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released, fans can own a copy of the eighth story. The scripts for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II — the sequel plays penned by Potter scribe J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne — are being released in a book on July 31.
The date is significant, as it marks the birthday of both the character Harry Potter and author Rowling. Little, Brown UK announced the news on Twitter on Wednesday, February 10.
“The #CursedChild script book will publish 31st July following the opening of @HPPlayLDN,” the handle tweeted.
As was previously reported, The Cursed Child will be a sequel to the Harry Potter novels that will follow the beloved characters and their children 19 years after the seventh book.
Little, Brown is thrilled to publish the #CursedChild script book https://t.co/3ToUeDApDk pic.twitter.com/sBt6PlA50g
— Little, Brown UK (@LittleBrownUK) February 10, 2016
“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,” Rowling summarized on the Pottermore website in October. “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 cast for the London show, which starts previews in June, has already been announced. And Rowling has supported the decision to cast black actress Noma Dumezweni as Potter’s pal Hermione Granger.
“Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione,” the author tweeted after the news broke in December.
