Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tops bestseller chart

The script from the forthcoming Harry Potter play has leapt to the top of bestseller lists, a day after its July release was announced.

A hardback edition of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” - Parts I and II will be released on July 31, the day after the play has debuted on stage in London.

Following Wednesday's news, pre-orders have propelled it to number one on the Amazon and Waterstones book charts.

The play sees Harry as a father and an overworked Ministry of Magic employee. The script is from an original new story by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will tell the 'untold part' of the boy wizard's story, including the story of the lives of his murdered parents, Rowling has said.

In a statement, Waterstones said it expected pre-orders to break all records and were already exceeding those for Harper Lee's “Go Set a Watchman” over the comparable period. Last year, “Go Set a Watchman” was the first title whose pre-orders reached the heights of those for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 2007.

The special rehearsal edition of the script book will comprise the version of the play early in the production's preview period and is therefore subject to being changed before the official opening. The edition will, therefore, only be available for a limited time, said the publisher, “to be replaced by the definitive collector's edition at a later date.”

“The play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”, has already proved to be a success with an initial round of 175,000 tickets sold in October within 24 hours of booking opening. Producers released a second batch, available to fans who had registered for priority booking. A third set is still to go on sale but the date is yet to be announced.

Previews of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” begin in May at London's Palace Theatre, with both plays set to open on July 30.

Jamie Parker will star as an adult Harry in the production. Noma Dumezweni, known for her 2006 Olivier Award-winning role in “A Raisin in the Sun”, will play Hermione Granger. “London Road” star Paul Thornley will play Ron Weasley.

Source: BBC