Although you may have never heard his name, you probably know some of Jack Thorne’s work. Thorne is a major writer in the television and play-write world, a few of his scripts include Skins, Glue, and This is England. So far in his career, it seems as if all of his work has been dusted with magic, so it is no surprise that Thorne was approached by J.K. Rowling to write the much anticipated sequel to the popular Harry Potter series.
Rowling herself co-directed all eight movies of the series and never once asked for help while writing the books, so why now is she giving Harry’s story to another writer?
Rowling expresses in a recent tweet that the reason she chose Jack Thorne had to do with his play The Solid Life of Sugar Water, a heartbreaking story about a couple facing the struggle of miscarriage. The story, Thorne says, is based off of personal experience, from his parents to himself and his wife.
“Thorne is remarkably open about his work and life,” Holly Williams, writer at Independent, comments after her interview with Jack Thorne.
“To even let someone else write a word that Harry says is an incredibly generous act. [Rowling] is very trusting, and is prepared to say, ‘Nah, you’ve got it wrong.’ And then, as a person, she’s prepared to stick her neck out on important issues. I admire her,” Thorne gushes over Rowling’s help and liberty over the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Thorne is painfully aware of the pressure by Harry Potter fans everywhere. His interpretation of adult Harry in the magical world could either make fans love him or hate him.
Fans are already split over the play itself, whether it be because of the price, the location, or the cast. Although Rowling herself has expressed complete support for the decisions made so far, Thorne understands that bringing something so popular to the stage will bring attention to theater as a whole.
“John [Tiffany] says it will define us, whether it’s good or shit, and that’s true. [But] we’ve got an opportunity to reach an audience who don’t go to the theatre at all and say, ‘Look at the story we can tell.’ And that’s a real privilege. So let’s hope we get it right.” Thorne explains alongside director John Tiffany.
In his recent interview with Independent, Thorne also describes his need to check himself when it comes to Rowling. He admits shyly to having his wife read his emails to Rowling before sending, “In case I kiss her arse too much. She doesn’t want me to be embarrassing.”
As a massive fan of Harry Potter himself, most fans have no doubt that Thorne will bring out the essence of each character in the play. While you may not have known his name before, soon the whole world will! The book version of the script will be available in stores on July 31 (Harry’s birthday, it so happens).
We here at CelebMix are especially excited to get our hands on the next chapter in the story of Harry and the rest of the characters we’ve grown to love (and hate) in the world of wizards. How ready are you to read the script? Do you think the play will live up to Rowling’s work? Let us know on twitter @CelebMix!
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