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Monday, January 18, 2016

Muggle Monday: It's an exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan again

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I highlight something from the Harry Potter world. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this feature: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.



It's been a while since I posted my Muggle Monday feature, but I think it will be making a more regular comeback in 2016 for good reason: it's an exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan again.

The entire concept of my blog was based around the fact that I had spent the past decade living and breathing all things Harry Potter, only to have the rug swept out from under me when the franchise came to an end and I was left floundering with a major series hangover. Of course, my love for the series will never fade. But in the wake of the end of the Harry Potter franchise (i.e. my life), I felt a tremendous amount of loss in that it was over and there would never be anything NEW to get excited over again.

But in the past years, deals have been struck and announcements made: new works set in the Harry Potter universe and written by Queen Jo herself. And so in 2016, it's an exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan again, and I couldn't be happier.

Here are some of the things to be excited about this year as Harry Potter fans:



Harry Potter and the Cursed Child


Premiering July 30, 2016 in London's West End in two parts, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will tell the story of Harry's life nineteen years later and of Albert Severus Potter, Harry's youngest son.

Jo always said "never say never" when it came to the possibility of Harry Potter 8, but I don't think anyone ever expected it to happen this soon and in play format, no less. I would think Harry has earned his happy ever after finally and so I hope no harm comes to him in this next story! I'm just excited that this work was written at least in part by J.K. Rowling - that's what makes it a must-see.

Synopsis:
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.



Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them


Another Wizarding World project written by J.K. Rowling: the first movie adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be hitting screens November 18, 2016. Fantastic Beasts will give us our first look at Newt Scamander as a main character, as well as the Wizarding World in America in the 1920s. Even though we won't be seeing our favourite boy wizard at any point in this movie, it's still set in the same world and it's still written by Jo, and so there is much to be excited about here.

Synopsis:
The story revolves around Newt Scamander's (Eddie Redmayne) arrival at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), for a meeting with an important official. Central to the story and this meeting is a magically expanded briefcase which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and it threatens even further the state of magical and non-magical relations, which is already in a dangerous place, due to the threatening presence of the fanatical New Salem Philanthropic Society, an extremist organization dedicated to the eradication of wizard-kind. The story tells of what effect this devastating mistake has on the state of wizard/No-Maj (the American term for a non-magical person) relations in New York City's community of wizards and witches in 1926, the effort to correct the mistake, and the horrors of the resultant increase in violence, fear, and tension felt between magical and non-magical peoples.


Cormoran Strike Series


Alright, well this one is unrelated to the Harry Potter world in any way, but let me just say that if you're a fan of J.K. Rowling's writing - doesn't matter if you don't typically read adult mysteries - then you MUST read this series. If you love Jo's characterizations - and I'm sure you do if you're reading this post - then you will love these characters too. The fourth book in the series will be out in 2016 as well, though no firm date has yet been set. Also on my radar: the BBC television adaptation of the novels.


So yes, lots to be excited about in 2016! As I mentioned, I plan on posting my Muggle Monday feature more regularly in 2016, at which point I plan on discussing each of these at more length.

So I'm curious: which of Jo's 2016 projects are you most excited about?

21 comments :

  1. Awesome post Aylee :D Thank you for sharing again sweet girl. <3 I do love Harry Potter. It isn't my favorite fandom.. but I love it lots even so :D And eeee, SO curious about The Cursed Child :D Will never get to watch it live.. but still hoping to get to watch it sometime :) I love how much you love Harry Potter. <3

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    1. Yeah, I likely won't get to London to see it, but hopefully they'll make it available to the masses in some way! Thanks, Carina :)

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  2. I completely understand what you said about feeling such loss when the franchise came to a close. At least when the books were finished we could still look forward to the movies....but when that ended, it felt like we'd have to say goodbye to anything new from the Wizarding World and that was really rough. Oh how I wish I could be in London to attend both parts of that play ♥ I hope there isn't too much darkness for Harry and Albus Severus. *worries* And well I'm over the moon about Fantastic Beasts! Even though it is set in the US in 1920, it's STILL the Wizarding World and I think we'll all really like Newt :) Finally, I WILL read my copy of Cuckoo's Calling this year and then I'm sure I'll NEED the rest of the series straight after that!

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    1. Yay, I'm sure you'll love the Cormoran Strike series, Micheline!! And I'm glad you share in my feelings on everything :)

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  3. It's always an exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan! But there definitely are a lot of great things to look forward to this year! I'm so excited for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie, but I'm still not sure how I feel about The Cursed Child. I'm excited for the story, but conflicted because I don't know how we'll be able to see it/experience it here in Canada. :P

    I'm looking forward to seeing more exciting HP posts from you, Eilidh! There are also glow-in-the-dark versions of HP coming with pop-up art (http://socialbroadcastnetwork.com/39567/harry-potter-books-just-got-magical-makeover). I wasn't sure if you'd seen it yet, so I thought I'd share the link...the server is down because of exceeded bandwidth at the moment though...so I think it's safe to say the droves of HP fans have been there and have been sharing the photo links instead of saving and posting them. :P lol

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    1. haha, I always love being an HP fan, but it's been a while since I've been EXCITED as a Harry Potter fan. The glow-in-the-dark pop-up books look cool, if a bit gimmicky :)

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  4. I'm really curious as to how The Cursed Child will turn out, Aylee. I was really bummed to hear of the passing of Alan Rickman aka Snape. I was a huge Snape fangirl, both in the books and movies. He will be truly missed.

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  5. I'm so excited about all of them. I'm really happy the next Cormoran novel is coming out this year. A friend/co-worker of mine were talking about when the next book would come out, pretty much right after we read Career of Evil. LOL

    I have to say that I'm pretty stoked about the Harry Potter play though mainly because my sister and I got tickets!!! We're going to London in September; we just need to plan the rest of it around the play. haha

    -Lauren

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    1. Heh, well it seems like she's been coming out with a new one every year now, so that's a good sign that we shouldn't have to wait as long between books like we had to for HP :) You're the only one I know attending the play in London so I can't wait to hear what you think!

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  6. That is exciting news, can't wait to hear more about it!!

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    1. Me too, I'm always on the hunt for new information :)

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  7. I am SO excited for Fantastic Beasts- I think Eddie Redmayne is going to do such a fantastic job! I am also very excited about this play- although I anticipate many years before it goes on tour (if ever). Maybe a trip to the UK should be in my future. I totally agree, 2016 is going be a great year of us HP Fans!

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    1. You should totally do a UK trip - now's the time to do it with both HP shows and Doctor Who tours to see!

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  8. You know, I think I may come down more on the side of wishing Rowling would leave this series alone. I don't love that there's a play not everyone can go see and I think I prefer for my fandoms to eventually become finished worlds. I loved Harry Potter, but it feels like too much work for me to keep up with all of the HP related news these days. I do appreciate you sharing it though - it's interesting to hear about, even if I'm not willing to put the effort into tracking news related to my fandoms myself :)

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    1. I can understand this viewpoint. I do hope she doesn't go too overboard with the adding to canon like some authors do, but I still adore hearing new tidbits about my favourite boy wizard... just can't let it go.

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  9. I'm a little sad that Cursed Child is a play rather than a book or movie -- it's a little harder to get to London vs. ordering a book online. However, I'm still super excited to find out what happens in it, and I can't wait to see Fantastic Beasts! That one looks to be super fun.

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    1. I am too, though I have faith that Jo has our back and will be making it available in another format for the rest of us.

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  10. I'm just as excited as you are for all this! By the way, I got an Always with A as the Deathly Hallows symbol tattooed on my arm. I'll post a picture as soon as it heals. Out of context, but I wanted to share the Potter love with my fellow Potterhead.

    Oh, in other news, I just read today that The Cursed Child may end up being a book as well! So much excitement for that- I just hope it is true though. Thank you for sharing this, Aylee.

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

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    1. OMG Sarika!! I cannot wait to see that tattoo! You are my hero :) And yes, I did hear that rumour... fingers crossed that it is true!

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