This post has been updated.
This post has been updated.
Harry Potter fans, rejoice. Author J.K. Rowling has announced that her next big work will officially be the eighth in her legendary fantasy series, called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
But there’s a catch: You won’t be able to line up hours ahead of midnight at your local bookstore or wait with bated breath for a copy to appear on your e-reader. You’ll have to go to London.
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Cue the sound of millions of children’s hearts breaking around the world.
The new story will be released as a two-part play, which will preview at London’s Palace Theatre starting late May 2016 and officially opens Saturday, July 30.
The story takes place 19 years in the future, and will focus on Harry Potter’s youngest son, Albus Severus, according to a statement. The adult Harry will be re-imagined as ”an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic.”
In her seemingly ceaseless quest to expand the Harry Potter series, Rowling is credited as one of the writers of the original story, along with BAFTA award-winning writer Jack Thorne and Tony Award-winning director John Tiffany. It’s unclear whether the story will be made available in book form for all those fans who can’t make it to the West End.
Update (Oct. 27, 2015, 10:37am): According to an emailed response from Rowling’s team to Quartz, the eighth story will not be published as a novel.
Sign-ups for priority booking close tomorrow (Oct. 24), and general tickets go on sale on October 30. The cheapest way to see the story in its entirety is to see it in preview, for £20 ($30), and the best seats in the house for both plays will go for £130. Plus the price of a ticket to London.
