FANS AND BOOK STORES ALIKE GET READY FOR THE FIRST HARRY POTTER ADVENTURE IN NEARLY A DECADE WITH HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
After being gone for nearly a near decade, everyone’s favourite boy wizard is back.
And it looks like he’s passing the wand to a new generation of hero and fans.
Many thought they had seen the last of the infamous Mr. Potter when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in July of 2007, wrapping up the boy wizard’s long running battle against the evil Lord Voldemort. And fans devoured what they thought would be The Chosen One’s final adventure, buying over 11 million copies of Hallows in its first day alone.
But the phenomenon many credit with inspiring an entire generation to read returns July 31st (ironically the birthday of both the fictional Harry and his creator) with Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, a story set 19 years in the future and penned by authors other then the legendary J.K. Rowling.
Harry isn’t a boy wizard anymore; he’s now fully grown with three children of his own and works for the Ministry of Magic. The story focuses on his oldest son, Albus Severus Potter (presumably the cursed child of the title, though you never know) and Rowling promises that while the eighth book in the bestselling series will feature an entirely original story, it will also reveal some of Harry’s earliest years as an orphan (though Rowling stresses that The Cursed Child is not a prequel).
The story was the brainchild of Rowling and playwrights Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, with Thorne credited for most of the writing. Originally conceived as a play that’s been in production at the West End Theatre since 2013 (with many members of the creative team handpicked by Rowling herself), Harry Potter and The Cursed Child offered advance screenings in June and is officially scheduled to premier Saturday. Initial reviews have been strong and the play has been well received by fans (who’ve also behaved themselves and kept plot details off social media).
The seven previous books in the Harry Potter series have sold over 450 million copies worldwide and the eight films based on the books have grossed over 7.7 billion dollars globally. And if early signs are any indication, there should be no doubts that The Cursed Child will take its place among the other titles as a global sales juggernaut.
CNN reports that The Cursed Child is the most pre-ordered book of the year (pre-orders became available last February) and Indigo, Canada’s largest book seller, will be welcoming Harry Potter back with a midnight launch at every one of its Chapters stores across the country. In fact many stores have taken advantage of the building anticipation for the new book by having special activities and events in store.
At the Chapters Pinecrest location here in Ottawa for instance, the store has been adorned with Harry Potter decorations for weeks (including a painstakingly detailed reproduction of original book covers greeting customers on their front door). In fact, the store has had a special “Harry Potter committee” organizing both the launch as well as free Harry Potter themed events all month. Customers of all ages have been able to experiment with potions, get their own personalized Azkaban prison mug shots, create and paint Hungarian Horntail Dragon eggs and Saturday morning they’ll be able to take a class in wand making and dueling. The night of the launch they’ll host a three hour Harry Potter trivia marathon leading up to the midnight release of the new book and a handful of lucky fans will walk away with a hand crafted wand. Everyone is both welcome and encouraged to attend in costume, dressed as their favourite Harry Potter character.
This isn’t the Potterverse’s only big moment this year either. Warner Brothers is releasing their film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne this November and Rowling recently admitted that she’s so excited about the new movie that she’s already written a screenplay for a potential sequel. Harry Potter and The Cursed Child will also be getting a special “definitive edition” sometime in 2017.
So welcome back Mr Potter. You’ve been missed.
Shayne Kempton
Photos: Erin Novodvorsky
Artwork: Elizabeth Chadsey
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