Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play conceived by series author J.K. Rowling and written by Jack Thorne. It's set years after the events of Rowling's Harry Potter book series and mostly follows the children of characters like Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy as they attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The play has been running all over the world for years and has generally been a big hit, despite some blowback from fans. The Broadway production is about to get a major shot in the arm courtesy of Tom Felton, who will reprise his role as Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter film series, now grown up with a child of his own.
The producers of the play are making this into an event, as they should; this will definitely get Harry Potter fans to buy tickets. They even got a statement from Felton: “Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life," he said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I’ll also be the exact age Draco is in the play. It’s surreal to be stepping back into his shoes — and of course his iconic platinum blond hair — and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world. I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community.”
Felton will start his run as Draco on November 11. He'll stay on for 19 performances, giving fans plenty of opportunities to see him. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is playing at the Lyric Theater in New York City. At one point, Cursed Child was split into two plays that had to be seen at different times, but the version at the Lyric is just one play; the combined play runs for two hours and 55 minutes, including an intermission.
It's a little strange to me that there's been no attempt to turn Cursed Child into a movie, especially now, when alums of the movie series like Felton, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are about at the ages their characters are in the play. But there's no guarantee all of those actors would want to do it, and it can often take long time for a popular play to make it to the screen; just ask Wicked.
Meanwhile, HBO is moving forward with a Harry Potter TV show that will adapt Rowling's original seven books. I wouldn't be shocked if a couple veterans from the movies showed up there; Felton seems more open to it than most. But of course, the newer actors will get the lion's share of attention:
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.