--- description: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' will “explore the previously untold story of Harry’s early years as an orphan and outcast." title: 'Harry Potter' Prequel to Hit London Stage in 2016 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted31960207baa765/69876ea255a8594f74a84b93/harry-potter.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A _Harry Potter_ Prequel Will Hit the London Stage in 2016 by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 6:54 AM CUT  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2\. , Left to right: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2\. , Left to right: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert GrintJaap Buitendijk—Warner Bros by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 6:54 AM CUT Get your omnioculars out, fans: a _Harry Potter_ play [is on its way](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/25/harry-potter-and-cursed-child-prequel-play-headed-london-stage "undefined"), set to open in summer 2016. Billed as a prequel, _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_ will run at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End, _Entertainment Weekly_ reports. Although beloved _Potter_ author J.K. Rowling is not writing the script, she is co-producing alongside industry veterans Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender. Dialogue will instead be written by English television writer Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany, who won a Tony in 2012 for directing the musical _Once_. The play will “explore the previously untold story of Harry’s early years as an orphan and outcast,” according to a statement issued in 2013, when the play was first announced. \[[_EW_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/25/harry-potter-and-cursed-child-prequel-play-headed-london-stage "undefined")\] ### Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Illustrations  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hermione Granger Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Ron Weasley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Draco Malfoy Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Rubeus Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hogwarts Grand Hall Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Dragon Alley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  An owl Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  The Golden Snitch Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3937077/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-play-prequel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3937077/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-play-prequel/"},"headline":"A Harry Potter Prequel Will Hit the London Stage in 2016","datePublished":"2015-06-26T06:54:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:35.509Z","description":"Accio, ticket sales!","url":"https://time.com/3937077/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-play-prequel/","keywords":["Harry Potter","World","J.K. Rowling","Theater","Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted31960207baa765/69876ea255a8594f74a84b93/harry-potter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alissa Greenberg","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted31960207baa765/69876ea255a8594f74a84b93/harry-potter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Harry Potter","caption":"Harry Potter","creditText":"Jaap Buitendijk—Warner Bros","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3937077/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-play-prequel/","name":"A Harry Potter Prequel Will Hit the London Stage in 2016"}}]}] ```