For the first time since the publication of Deathly Hallows in 2007, Harry Potter is about to become really hot again.
Notice I said “really hot,” not just warm. I’ll be honest: Back in 2011, after the release of Deathly Hallows, Part 2, I thought that the Harry Potter fandom was pretty much over. That’s why I wanted to start Hypable — I wanted to do something bigger than only Harry Potter, because Harry Potter was clearly over.
And for a time, it really was. The Harry Potter fandom’s metaphorical body was as cold as Harry’s physical body lying in Hagrid’s saddened arms. Yes, there were a few surprises in the years since the seventh and final Harry Potter book hit store shelves. There were announcements like the sexuality of Dumbledore and the launch of Pottermore — or at least the hype leading up to it — but nothing captured the essence of a new book release.
Then 2013, 2014, and 2015 happened.
Over the past three years, Harry Potter has warmed up. While announcements about Fantastic Beasts and The Cursed Child are certainly responsible, I also give a lot of credit to J.K. Rowling’s usage of Twitter for this rebirth. Her frequent and insightful tweets about the Wizarding World made everyone realize (myself included) that people still really care about the Harry Potter books and what she has to say about them after all these years.
Using only 140 characters or sometimes many more, Rowling has used her Twitter account to drop truth bombs (we all went to Hogwarts), shut down bad theories or encourage good ones, and open up the Wizarding World in ways we weren’t expecting (Her rant about Snape last November was one of our favorites).
And now, 2016 is upon us. In the year ahead we’re getting two big things: the official “eighth story” and the first film in the Fantastic Beasts trilogy. Both will present entirely new stories from Rowling. The first new Wizarding World stories we’ve received since 2007.
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’
The filmmaking team behind the eight Harry Potter movies are all back for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a story penned by J.K. Rowling and hitting theaters this November. Director David Yates will helm the first movie as he works alongside familiar Potter faces David Heyman (producer) and Stuart Craig (set designer).
With so many people from the original movies back on board — most notably the author herself — Fantastic Beasts is simply too big to fail.
It’s still too early to say what kind of impact Fantastic Beasts will have on the fandom. One thing’s for sure: It simply can’t stir up the community to the extent that each new book release did during the early 2000s. A movie can’t go into the detail that a book can, and while the movie will be presenting us with all-new information, the ways the fandom will analyze Fantastic Beasts will be very different.
Here’s the good news: We won’t have to waste time comparing it to the book it was based on. We will only be talking about everything revealed in the movie and what it means for the future. Just like we did with the original Harry Potter books.
We will be analyzing like true Potter fans and we will be obsessing over it… for a very long time. Newt’s story will take six years to tell, because the two sequels will be hitting theaters in November 2018 and November 2020. That’s a lot of time to explore the 1920s Wizarding World, and we can’t wait to get started later this year.
‘The Cursed Child’
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is officially “the eighth story.”
While the play will only be available to a limited audience (something we previously begged Jo to fix quickly), the show will present an answer to a question we’ve been very curious about since July 2007: What happened to Harry, Ron, and Hermione after the events of Deathly Hallows?
The revelations in The Cursed Child will surely be worth discussing in the months and years that follow the play’s opening. Considering the show is a two-parter and Rowling has described the story as “epic” in nature, it’s safe to assume that the play will be taking a lot of time to tell an interesting story worthy of the seven Potter stories that preceded it.
And then there’s the slow and inevitable roll out of the play around the world. It remains to be seen where and when The Cursed Child will open beyond its run on London’s West End at the Palace Theater, but it’s safe to say it will go somewhere. Will it be broadcast in movie theaters? Will the script be published in book form? While the answers are probably “yes,” less certain is the timing of these broader releases.
No matter when The Cursed Child can be viewed by audiences around the world, the fandom will thrive again when we can all discuss the big developments in the play. Just like we did with each Harry Potter book.
If you don’t have plans to see the play in London over the next year or two (Let’s be real: Many don’t), you’ll be able to read spoilers about it online if you want. In other words, you’re going to have access to an eighth Harry Potter story this year. How great is that? Let’s just hope Rowling doesn’t kill anyone off. Our hearts may not be able to take it.
Other surprises
A few years ago no one would’ve guessed that we’d be speaking about two huge projects like these. With that in mind, who knows what else Rowling has in store for us. An Encyclopedia? A Marauders TV series? A prequel book series? It’s clear that Rowling isn’t done with the Wizarding World. She may only be just beginning, and as the past couple years have proven, fans are more than fine with that.
At the very least we’ll be getting lots of new tweets from Jo, and at least half of them will be very entertaining (that’s a scientific fact).
So, are you ready? Are you ready for the midnight (or 7 p.m. Thursday night) release of Fantastic Beasts? Are you ready to sit with your friends and watch a new Wizarding World story by your favorite author? Are you ready to hear about an American Wizarding school? Are you ready to hear what happens to Harry and company after Deathly Hallows?
Are you ready for all the new info J.K. Rowling drops as she promotes these two huge projects?
Buckle in to your Firebolts. 2016 is going to be a fun ride for Harry Potter fans.
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