Harry Potter author says the end of the film series is ‘a new beginning’
Start all the clocks and plug the telephone back in: JK Rowling has provided a shred of comfort to the millions of mourners lamenting the release of the final Harry Potter movie with the revelation that she has written “quite a lot” of new material and has plans to publish it.
Speaking at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two, Rowling told MTV News that “I’m writing, and I’ve done quite a lot since finishing Harry Potter”. She expanded further to BBC News, saying “I think I always felt I didn’t want to publish again until the last film was out because Potter has been such a huge thing in my life. I’ve been writing hard ever since I finished writing Hallows, so I’ve got a lot of stuff and I suppose it’s a question of deciding which one comes out first. But I will publish again. In a sense it’s a beginning for me as well as an end.”
The author has previously said that she is working on a political fairytale for slightly younger children, revealing in 2009 that “I think that will probably be the next thing that I finish”.
Rowling has also spoken of writing an encyclopedia of the Potter universe, although it seems likely that her new venture, Pottermore, which will feature over 18,000 words of new Potter content penned by the author, will be the location for any further Potter-related material. And the author has mentioned plans for a book aimed at adults, saying in 2007 that “I’m sort of writing two things at the moment – one is for children and the other is not for children”, adding that it was unlikely her new venture would be another fantasy series. “I think I’ve done my fantasy. To go and create another fantasy universe would feel wrong, and I don’t know if I’m capable of it.”
Working on something new felt like a fresh start, Rowling told MTV at the premiere. “I also felt I wanted the last film out of the way before I made any moves on the publishing front. Harry is so huge and I suppose my involvement with the world has still been quite intense,” she said. “This feels like a new beginning to me.”
Although Rowling has previously said that she has “no plans to write another [Potter] novel”, she tantalised fans at the premiere by telling them “Never say never. It is my baby and if I want to bring it out to play again I will.”
“You know what? Maybe I’ll just write another one,” she teased.
