Harry Potter: Not Done Quite Yet

Everyone is familiar with the story of Harry Potter, the orphaned wizard who overcomes the Dark Wizard Voldemort.  While J.K. Rowling wrote the last book in 2007 and the final movie came out in 2011, there seems to always be some sort of new expansion to the Harry Potter-verse.

New Movie

Back in September in 2013, J.K. Rwling announced she was in the process of writing a new Harry Potter movie. However, rather than having it be about Harry, it will be the story of Newt Scarmander, the author of the (fictional) "Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them". Interestingly enough, Newt Scarmander is not even an actual character that ever makes an appearance in the books.  J.K. Rowling is taking an extremely minor character she created and expanding on that to give him his own story and movie. There has also been talk of another spin-off movie based on another fictional book, "Qudditch Through the Ages".


Theme Park

Almost all of my friends have either been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or knows someone that has been there. Currently it features two locations from the book- Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. The goal of Wizarding World of Harry Potter is to create a place where fans of the series can fully submerse themselves and feel like they really are in the wizarding world.  Careful attention to detail is paid in making the theme park, from creating the Butterbeer witches and wizards love to drink, to recreating famous landmarks like the Hogshead and Hogwarts itself. More recently in January there were official announcements about expansing the park to include Diagon Alley.  The designers of the the Wizarding World of Harry Potter rely greatly on the written detail from the books when designing the theme park.

With the success of the parks has also come merchandise inspired by products from the books.  Candy like chocolate frogs, sugar quills, and Bertie Bott's every Flavor Bean have become a reality that people can purchase and enjoy. Ollivander's Wand Shop allows fans to be paired up with their own wand, and also has Hogwarts uniforms for those that know what house they are in.

Play
While most would assumer J.K. Rowling would have her hands full with writing a new Potter-verse movie, she also is in the process of creating a play for the West End (a.k.a London's version of Broadway).  She again is going back in time, but this time to Harry's childhood living with the Dursley's.  It is a prequel of sorts to before Harry knows he is a wizard and focuses on the relationship between him and the Dursleys.  While little more is actually known about the play, it can be said that the Dursleys as characters will certainly be expanded upon and more developed.