J.K. Rowling is clearly not done telling the story of Harry Potter and the wizarding world of Hogwarts. Not only is she working on another film series with Warner Bros., but she has confirmed that she’s developing a stage play about Harry’s life before Hogwarts.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, who had worked in London and New York, will be producing with Rowling, the Daily Mail reports. The plot will center on Harry’s life as an outcast and orphan before he was taken to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.). Warner Bros., which produced the eight films based on Rowling’s books, is expected to be involved in the show, just like it had produced Sam Mendes’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Rowling told the Daily Mail that she had received offers to bring Harry to the stage, but Friedman and Callender’s idea was “the only one that really made sense to me, and which had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry’s story to the stage.”
The author added, “After a year in gestation, it is very exciting to see this project moving onto the next phrase.”
According to The Associated Press, Rowling will work with the writer, but isn’t expected to write the script solo. After all, she is busy with the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series for Warner Bros.
A director has also not been found yet and it’s not clear what theater the play would be produced at. However, the Daily Mail notes that it is expected to open in the West End by 2015.
image: Amazon