The Harry Potter franchise is definitely one of the most successful of all time. The books were wildly popular, before the eight movies based on the books continued to hold that mantle. In some quarters, J.K Rowling is basically a demi-god.

However, it has been generally accepted that the story is done, after the events of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. Rowling has penned some online short stories, but nothing that can be considered as moving the story past the end of the last novel.

A new play to be put on in London next summer would move the story forward in that way. ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, would be a two part play that would be set two decades after the last story, and involve Harry and his youngest son, Albus Potter.

The Nation reports…

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”, based on a new story part-written by Rowling, opens at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End district on July 30, 2016, publicists for the production said on Friday. The story takes place 19 years after Harry’s final showdown with the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, described in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, the seventh book.

Now an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic with three school-age children, Harry “grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs”, a statement about the new play said. Meanwhile, Albus, named after Harry’s old headmaster and mentor Albus Dumbledore, struggles with the weight of the family legacy.

“As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places,” the publicists said. The play will be in two parts which are intended to be seen in order on the same day, or on two consecutive evenings.

The new story was a collaboration between Rowling, scriptwriter Jack Thorne and theatre director John Tiffany, who has won awards in London and New York for his work on the musical “Once”. “The story only exists because the right group of people came together with a brilliant idea about how to present Harry Potter on stage,” Rowling was quoted as saying.

“I’m confident that when audiences see ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ they will understand why we chose to tell the story in this way.”

Both parts of the play will be performed on the opening day, July 30”