J.K. Rowling Announces ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ Play To Debut In 2016
Everyone’s favorite boy wizard is striking out on a new adventure — all the way to a West End stage. A new play calledHarry Potter and the Cursed Childwill open in London next year.J.K. Rowlingcollaborated 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#CursedChildwill be opening in London next year.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling)August 23, 2025
EWreportsHarry Potter and the Cursed Childwill 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 writerJack Thorne(A Long Way Down) and directorJohn Tiffany(a Tony winner forOnce) on the story.
We first heard of plans for the project inlate 2013, when Rowling revealed she was developing aHarry Potterstage play with producersSonia FriedmanandColin Callender. Though the story reportedly takes place during Harry’s early years, and is expected to feature familiar Harry Potter characters, Rowling stressed onTwitterthatCursed Child"is not a prequel."
The author declined to give details,sayingshe didn’t “want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans.” However,The Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboyehas 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. BesidesHarry Potter and the Cursed Child, there’s the upcoming filmFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a spinoff set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter.
