J.K. Rowling Announces 'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' Play To Debut In 2016

By Angie HanJune 26, 2015 8:11 am EST

Everyone's favorite boy wizard is striking out on a new adventure — all the way to a West End stage. A new play called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open in London next year. J.K. Rowling collaborated on the story, which concerns Harry's early years. More details on the Harry Potter play after the jump.

Rowling officially announced the big news.

I'm also very excited to confirm today that a new play called Harry Potter and the #CursedChild will be opening in London next year.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2015

EW reports Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will debut at the Palace Theatre in London in 2016. Ticket details will be revealed next month on the play's official website, and the tickets themselves will go on sale this fall. Rowling did not write the script but is co-producing, and worked with writer Jack Thorne (A Long Way Down) and director John Tiffany (a Tony winner for Once) on the story.

We first heard of plans for the project in late 2013, when Rowling revealed she was developing a Harry Potter stage play with producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender. Though the story reportedly takes place during Harry's early years, and is expected to feature familiar Harry Potter characters, Rowling stressed on Twitter that Cursed Child "is not a prequel."

The author declined to give details, saying she didn't "want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans." However, The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye has heard it'll center around Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter. Both were killed by Lord Voldemort in their early 20s, when Harry was just 1. Harry was subsequently sent to live with Lily's sister Petunia and her family, and spent his childhood there before getting whisked away to Hogwarts.

The Harry Potter book series ended after seven installments, and the film series ended after eight. However, Rowling and her team have found ways to extend the franchise past Harry's adventures at Hogwarts. Besides Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, there's the upcoming film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a spinoff set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter.