For many Harry Potter fans, the news that an eighth story was coming to the stage rather than the page or screen was met with bittersweet delight, as many feared that they wouldn’t be able to see it for themselves. Now, however, fans all over the world are breathing a sigh of relief. Scholastic announced today that it plans to publish the script of the highly anticipated play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in book form at the end of July this year–right in time to celebrate the 36th birthday of the Boy-Who-Lived himself. It also happens to be the same month that the play premieres at the Palace Theatre in London. Here’s the official summary:
“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 a 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.”
Although this isn’t exactly an eighth Harry Potter novel, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Could this be a jumping off point for a new series centered around Harry’s youngest son? At this point, anything is possible. All I know for sure is that I’ll be first in line to buy the published script on July 31st. Will you?