J.K Rowling and fan site, Pottermore have revealed that the upcoming stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be released in two parts.
Rowling took to Twitter to explain the decision:
Due to the epic nature of the story we’ve been working on, Harry Potter & the #CursedChild will be in two parts! @HPPlayLDN
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 24, 2015
The play’s writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany took to the official fan site, Pottermore offer their reasoning for splitting the play into two parts.
“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 honor that has been,” Thorne said. “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.”
“I’ve never worked on anything quite like this before,’ Tiffany 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.”
The first part of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open at London’s West End in Summer 2016.