Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
So, there may have been a thread on here about this before.
I just wanted to make a thread to see if there was any long time Potter fans wanting to discuss anything, The spoilers were released recently, I only just realized it today. I hadn't initially thought much about the Cursed Child because to me it was a play in a country I don't live in so I didn't see there was much to be focusing on until later. I figured if the play ever was to come to other countries or whatnot I would check it out then. I knew a book form was coming out and I did intend to maybe check that out at some point. I didn't really realize what the play was until recently, but I guess no one really did.
When I started to read the spoilers(i really couldn't care less about feeling guilty as to me it hardly counts as cheating when to me it's not the book series tiself) I honestly assumed it was meant as some "What if" and maybe this could be what happened years later - type of thing. I assumed it wasn't true canon though. Especially reading it as the tone and the story itself doesn't really go along with the initial book series or any of the previous extra material.
And I was FINE with that because I thought of it more like semi canon and Alternative Universe canon. But now that I am reading that apparently it is meant to be canon, I feel very confused. First of all
Also I may be wrong but I recall JK previously stating that Hermione becomes the Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry and Harry becomes head Auror.
Don't get me wrong, I think the play sounds like a semi bizarre romp with all the "What ifs?"
I just wanted to make a thread to see if there was any long time Potter fans wanting to discuss anything, The spoilers were released recently, I only just realized it today. I hadn't initially thought much about the Cursed Child because to me it was a play in a country I don't live in so I didn't see there was much to be focusing on until later. I figured if the play ever was to come to other countries or whatnot I would check it out then. I knew a book form was coming out and I did intend to maybe check that out at some point. I didn't really realize what the play was until recently, but I guess no one really did.
When I started to read the spoilers(i really couldn't care less about feeling guilty as to me it hardly counts as cheating when to me it's not the book series tiself) I honestly assumed it was meant as some "What if" and maybe this could be what happened years later - type of thing. I assumed it wasn't true canon though. Especially reading it as the tone and the story itself doesn't really go along with the initial book series or any of the previous extra material.
And I was FINE with that because I thought of it more like semi canon and Alternative Universe canon. But now that I am reading that apparently it is meant to be canon, I feel very confused. First of all
actual events occurring in the Cursed Child don't really make sense - such as Lestrange having had Voldemort's secret daughter. Of course JK herself confirmed Bellatrix was in love with Voldemort years ago. Though it was sufficiently hinted at in the text without confirmation. Of course Voldemort certainly didn't return the feelings. However, it doesn't make sense that this could occur in the book events. When was this supposed to have happened and why would it have been such a secret? I can easily imagine Tom Riddle being able to impregnate a woman, but this girl would have had to have been conceived when Voldemort was resurrected? It's hard to imagine him being human enough to father a child.I can also go along with the idea that maybe Voldemort decided to pass on his genes. I was almost going to say sire an heir - but that doesn't really work because his ultimate goal was immortality. BUT see none of this matters to me if it's not canon, It all sounds and plays out like a sort of adult soap opera ish version of events. Which for a play I am fine with. But as actual canon it does not work. Everything else JK has ever released - her Pottermore information, her extra releases - such as Rita Skeeter's writings of the quidditch world cup where she gossips about Harry, Ron and Hermione's families. It all fits the tone of the original series.
Also I may be wrong but I recall JK previously stating that Hermione becomes the Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry and Harry becomes head Auror.
In the Cursed Child apparently Harry is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. It didn't say what Hermione was. NOW it can be argued Harry was promoted from head Auror to Magical Law Enforcement office. However, it's hard to imagine Harry agreeing to take that position when it's clear that's never been his style. I don't mind the idea of "What if Harry was an over worked father with a job he didn't really enjoy?" Fine, whatever - but for canon?
Don't get me wrong, I think the play sounds like a semi bizarre romp with all the "What ifs?"
The main theme seems to be the horrible implications of time travel by use of the Time Turners. It's interesting to see alternate realities popping up in the story due to the Tim Turners. Voldemort's Hitler - esque reign over Britain. Umbridge still being Head Mistress, Snape being alive. Harry having been killed at the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione enemies of the state in hiding.
LOL and my personal favourite = Cedric Diggory losing the Tri Wizard Tournament and being shamed and humilated by it so ends up becoming a dark wizard. Pfft. Ha, see it does sound almost like parody or seriously AU
LOL and my personal favourite = Cedric Diggory losing the Tri Wizard Tournament and being shamed and humilated by it so ends up becoming a dark wizard. Pfft. Ha, see it does sound almost like parody or seriously AU
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The reviews for this have been amazing though so it cant be bad, if everyone who has watched it is saying its to good for words.
Im waiting for the script book myself and cant wait for it, i reckon you should pre order it so that way you get reliable information.
And i know that lots of Americans are pissed of that its being done in Britain, so trying to rain on cursed childs parade, just take everything you read with a pinch of salt and wait for the book
JK said it had to be done as a stage play, I don't see why???
Not sure why it needed to be a play rather than a story and movie, and I was concerned about reading it as a script, but I found it wasn't a problem at all and read very well,
Some great homages to the original plot, but I did feel it was missing JK's "magic" touch - you can tell she wasn't lead writer on it.
I've got tickets for January, and was worried I wouldn't be able to avoid spoilers for that long, so caved.
Glad I read it, and have that little "aww man" feeling about there being no more Potter books...until JK gets bored and writes another.
I dunno. I'm sure it'd be amazing live, but on paper it's all a bit well worn and tired.
My other real issue with it was that you finally had a really decent, sweet and good Malfoy in Scorpius, and we were inexplicably asked to
So yes, I had real mixed feelings about this in general and I think in some ways it does prove that some things are better left as they are. I didn't think this was a necessary add-on to the universe, it really didn't add anything new or exciting.
Edit: Also, very disappointing that Teddy Lupin wasn't in it or even mentioned considering he featured in the epilogue of the books.
Totallya gree about
I was really disappointed there was no mention of Fred.
I did think that too, don't know if some of that was because it was all dialogue. Some things that were said didn't seem quite in character/in sync with canon, but those were just small niggles for me (and the script is the rehearsal edition, so that stuff might have been changed by now).
Ohhh I so have that feeling too...
Same, same
For what is worth no one was going to get what they wanted from the book. I thought Luna and Neville might have featured more for example but I liked the way they featured Snape into the story. I liked the way the "what if" scenarios were explored in the story with the time turners, But most of all I was interested in the relationship between Harry and Draco and how he grew up to be "part of the gang" as it were.
I am certain we will eventually see a movie for this.
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/harry-potter/feature/a806391/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-film-not-until-2026/
Actually Harry is 40 for the majority of the play which makes it even more problematic.
If they wait for Radcliffe, Watson and Grint to age into the roles Maggie Smith will by then be in her nineties and Michael Gambon's health has already forced him to give up stage work. Snape will have to be recast and there is a real risk of losing other members of the cast in the interim.
The time travel plot also causes casting problems, as Robert Pattinson will be too old to play Cedric Diggory again unless they try to use CGI to "de-age" him like Jeff Bridges in Tron:Legacy.
One interesting thing about the play is how it makes explicit the 90s setting of the original stories which was almost hidden in the books (I'm pretty sure Dudley has a PlayStation a couple of years too early) and ignored in the films.
I don't think we need to worry too much about getting the original trio back, especially when you consider the play is given an entirely new cast.
The biggest hurdles are, J.K.'s approval of the project, waiting for the play to finish its run and of course Warner Bro's are currently commited to the Fantastic Beasts Trilogy.
I'd fancy Radcliffe to eventually come back and reprise the role as a drawer for the ling time fans but it goes without saying for me that the cast of the film if it's ever released will be different/.
To be honest I'm not sure if it will ever be filmed. I think Rowling has specifically aimed "Cursed Child" and "Fantastic Beasts..." at theatre and cinema audiences respectively.
Presuming it was filmed eventually however Warner Bros would definitely prefer to have as many of the original film cast as possible, but going with the original stage cast instead would also be problematic as many of them play multiple roles and the younger members would probably be too old by the time it finishes it's run. It would also open up the whole Hermione row again.
Talk of a trilogy seems far fetched, especially as overstretching source material clearly worked against the Hobbit, Divergent and even the Hunger Games. More likely would be two parts made back to back released 6-12 months apart.
I suspect what Warner Bros would really like is for "Cursed Child" to be the start of an "Albus Potter" series but whether Rowling would be interested is doubtful.
I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes for a CC film but I do think we'll get one. As for the Hermoine thing... Total non issue. Yes the theatre actress didn't fit my vision of the character but that's because I "met" Emma Watsons Hermoine first and not formed my own image of the character through the books. Which of I'm honest would not have included being black but that's another issue. Hermoines race was never clarified in the books I believe.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37105499/were-getting-new-hogwarts-stories-from-jk-rowling-next-month
What they're about:
Has anybody here read them?:)
These look more like my type of HP stories. I did read The Cursed Child. It definitely missed Jo's touch, as said above.
It was all right.
Young Albus was a bit of a pain.
I, too, was in bits after reading Act Three Scene 9.