Cursed Child: JK Rowling reveals new Harry Potter play will be two-part epic

'It shares a scale and ambition with all the Harry Potter stories' - and is not a prequel

Fans rejoice, as JK Rowling has revealed some magical new details with regards the upcoming stage play about The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Writing on Twitter, the author said that due to the ‘epic nature of the story’ she has been working on, the play will be broken into two parts.

Rowling announced Cursed Child earlier this year, saying she was collaborating with established TV screenwriter Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany to create the new story.

On the recently revamped Pottermore website, Thorne wrote: “Obviously I loved it when we decided to tell this story in two parts because I got to spend more time with the characters and what an honour that has been.

“It shares a scale and ambition with all the Harry Potter stories so in order to do this justice we have decided to present the play in two parts.”

He says they are anxious to “respect the previous seven stories” and hopes people will “love this play like they loved the books.”

Rowling said she was working on a prequel to the books in 2013, but has not spoken of them since. The Cursed Child has been referred to as a “new story” but it is not yet clear where it will fit in the Harry Potter timeline - despite the author making it clear repeatedly on social media that it is "definitely not a prequel".

It is expected to include characters from the seven books and eight blockbuster movies, particularly the Dursley family who reluctantly cared for Harry and made him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. Speculators also believe the story could look further into the lives of Harry’s parents, Lily and James Potter.

It is unknown whether Daniel Radcliffe will be returning to the role of Harry Potter. He has recently made headlines for shaving his head in anticipation of his role as a neo-Nazi in the film Imperium.