Harry Potter And The Great Scam? Some Fans Still Devastated That ‘Cursed Child’ Is Indeed A Script
When Little Brown announced that they would publish the script of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Potterheads rejoiced. The news was met with excitement for those unable to visit London to watch the play. However, when the script finally came out, many took to social media to express their disappointment.
Some fans said that the story was reminiscent of a “fan fiction.”
Heh.
We are reading the script to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child…. and finding a ton of plot points our favorite fanfic author used.
— cohost.org/ireneista @irenes@mastodon.social (@ireneista) July 31, 2016
Just finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, my review: it's a fanfic (not a particularly good one) and nothing more.
— Tom Lloyd (@tom13lloyd) August 6, 2016
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gave readers a taste of the world they grew up with – sweets from the Trolley Witch, the Ministry of Magic, the Forbidden Forest, Polyjuice Potion, and more. Many were probably disappointed because the script lacked J.K. Rowling’s charm. After all, what made the Harry Potter experience remarkable was being immersed in the author’s imaginative descriptions.
To be clear! The SCRIPT of #CursedChild is being published. #NotANovel #NotAPrequel ? https://t.co/3OhdOBIqJt
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 11, 2016
The script will be in book form, true, but it's still #NotAPrequel because it's set #19YearsLater https://t.co/befLyX4Mp2
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 11, 2016
The script of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child only received Rowling’s blessing. Director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne mainly worked on the script. Even the book’s cover explicitly stated this, “Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne. A new play by Jack Thorne.”
The mixed reviews still cannot stop Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from topping book charts. Book shops across the globe have conducted elaborate events to welcome the new story about The Boy Who Lived.
It was also confirmed that the Royal National Institute of Blind People has teamed up with Little Brown to create Braille versions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The British Dyslexia Association likewise released an edition aimed at dyslexic readers.
Even if many fans felt that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child didn’t give justice to the series, the play received praises. The Guardian described it as “spellbinding” and lauded it for its rawness.
“The show is more fragile, more human, because it is not dependent on mechanical special effects. It requires cooperation, even faith, from the audience.”
Tickets for the play are now difficult to obtain with thousands waiting in various online queues. The play’s organizers already issued a warning that they have the right to refuse admission to theatergoers whose tickets were purchased from unofficial ticketing platforms.
First #CursedChild reviews: ‘British theatre hasn’t known anything like it for decades’ – @Telegraph pic.twitter.com/Ch1rfl5Qgy
— Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (@CursedChildLDN) July 26, 2016
The warning was issued to prevent resellers from taking advantage of the fans’ yearning to watch the play. Some StubHub sellers, for example, are hoping to get £1,200 for a single ticket.
Rowling previously told Reuters that, despite the excitement that came with the play, Harry Potter’s tale “is done now.”
“He goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we’re done. This is the next generation, you know. So, I’m thrilled to see it realised so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now.”
Nonetheless, devastated fans can still look forward to the film release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them this November. The story happens in America in the 1920s. It focuses on Newt Scamander, a “magizoologist” and author of the titular textbook used by Hogwarts students.
The film isn’t out yet, but the news of a sequel is already confirmed. According to Warner Bros., Rowling is now working on a script for the sequel that will be released in 2018.
“Wizarding world creator J.K. Rowling, who made her screenwriting debut on the first film, is scripting the sequel. The second ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movie moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt and our other heroes have to decide on their allegiances.”
The third film, on the other hand, is expected to come out in 2020.
[Photo by Rob Stothard/Getty Images]
