The stage sequel to Harry Potter will be about Harry's midlife crisis, son


In the forthcoming Harry Potter stage sequel, the Boy Who Lived has a mortgage, makes dumb dad jokes, and drives a minivan. Okay, well maybe not quite, but according to an announcement on the official Harry Potter website, the eighth "story" in the series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is set 19 years after the last book ended and will be a two-part stage play — with an adult Harry:
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. [Pottermore]
While Pottermore calls the story "epic," which is why it necessitates two parts and 30-plus actors, the whole thing sounds a little like a joke. For what it's worth, the project is in what one would hope are good hands: The Cursed Child is being written by Jack Thorne (a writer for Skins and Shameless) and directed by Tony award-winner John Tiffany, in collaboration with J.K. Rowling.
"I'm confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way," Rowling said in the announcement.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tickets for the show go on sale next week; the play premieres in London's West End in summer 2016.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Wall Street has coined a new term for Trump's tariff threats
Feature TACO stands for 'Trump Always Chickens Out'
-
Trump's LA immigration showdown casts shadow over upcoming World Cup
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Amid a massive anti-immigrant detention push, analysts have begun to worry over the United States' plan to host one of the world's biggest athletic events
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia