Earlier this summer, author J.K. Rowling announced that her new play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" would be opening in London's West End theaters in 2016. However, much like the last movie adaptation of her final (for now) novel in the Harry Potter series, it seems that there's just too much story to cram into one stage play. So much, in fact, that it will appear in two parts, a rather unique opportunity for a live-action adaptation of a never-before-seen portion of the Harry Potter universe.

The new stage play written by Jack Thorne, based on the original tale from Rowling, Thorne and John Tiffany, will premiere at the Palace Theatre next summer. Though details of the story are still under wraps, Rowling has been very consistent in stating that "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is not a prequel, and that the stage play was the proper medium for telling the story.


The author took to Twitter to announce the change in the play to a two-parter, which was further explained in a Pottermore post:

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/647153651681751041[/EMBED_TWITTER]

Here's what Bafta-winning writer Thorne had to say about the chance to delve deeper into the wizarding world:

‘Obviously I loved it when we decided to tell this story in two parts because I got to spend more time with the characters and what an honour that has been. It continues to be unbelievable and amazing that I’ve been given this extraordinary chance to bring Harry Potter to the stage. As a fan, who just devoured the books and the films, this couldn’t be more exciting for me.’


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Image via Warner Bros.

Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Tiffany also gives his two cents (pence?) on the unique opportunity this two-part play provides:

‘I’ve never worked on anything quite like this before,’ he says. ‘Usually in theatre you’re adapting existing material or creating an entirely new play. With the Cursed Child we have been given the unique opportunity to explore some of the most cherished books and beloved characters ever written, yet work with J.K. Rowling to tell a story from that world that no one yet knows – it’s exhilarating. It shares a scale and ambition with all the Harry Potter stories so in order to do this justice we have decided to present the play in two parts.’


If you'd like to be among the first people to see "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" you can register for priority booking of tickets at London's West End Palace Theatre, which will host the two-part stage play next summer.

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Image via Universal Studios