J.K. Rowling confirmed on Twitter today that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will now be two separate plays due to the “epic nature o the story.” Pottermore was also updated with further information. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open in London’s West End summer 2016, with tickets going on sale this Autumn. You can register for priority booking at HarryPotterthePlay.com.

The important bits from the Pottermore post may be read below:

Bafta-winning writer Jack Thorne was elated by the chance to delve deeper into the wizarding world.‘Obviously I loved it when we decided to tell this story in two parts,’ Jack tells us, ‘because I got to spend more time with the characters and what an honour that has been. It continues to be unbelievable and amazing that I’ve been given this extraordinary chance to bring Harry Potter to the stage. As a fan, who just devoured the books and the films, this couldn’t be more exciting for me.’

The significance of the stage play is not lost on Tony and Olivier Award-winning director John Tiffany. He feels that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a unique production, and we’re inclined to agree.

‘I’ve never worked on anything quite like this before,’ he says. ‘Usually in theatre you’re adapting existing material or creating an entirely new play. With the Cursed Child we have been given the unique opportunity to explore some of the most cherished books and beloved characters ever written, yet work with J.K. Rowling to tell a story from that world that no one yet knows – it’s exhilarating. 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.’