J.K. Rowling and her work are so beloved by the world over that she has to do little more than breathe to capture everyone's attention. So it's not surprising that a few cryptic tweets from the author have put fans into a frenzy.
It all started on Oct. 5 when Rowling tweeted that she's "working on a novel, tweaking a screenplay." Of course, everyone always jumps to the conclusion that it's got to be Harry Potter-related, because why not? All we ever want in life is to return to the magic of Hogwarts in some form.
Very busy at the moment working on a novel, tweaking a screenplay and being involved in @lumos campaigns. Back when I've finished something!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 5, 2014
Probably knowing that's exactly what we were thinking, Rowling had to go and really rile us up even more, tweeting an anagram, a word or phrase whose letters can be rearranged to form another word or phrase.
Cry, foe! Run amok! Fa awry! My wand won’t tolerate this nonsense. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 6, 2014
Some fans thought the message was, "Harry returns. Won't say any details now. A week off. No comment." However, it seems like that was just another instance of seeing what you want to see. Rowling later tweeted that one user's tweet is getting "warmer," although it is missing an "R" from the original anagram.
"Newt Scamander's History of New York Fauna: One town, my tale" Warmer.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 7, 2014
And then being the kind soul that she is, Rowling decided to drop us a major hint as to what it all might mean.
#helpfulhint The solution is the first sentence of a synopsis of Newt's story. It isn't part of the script, but sets the scene. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 7, 2014
Rowling may be finally giving us a taste of the film adaptation of her 2001 companion book in the Harry Potter universe, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, although she makes it clear that the solution to the riddle isn't part of the film's script but sets the scene. Newt Scamander is a "mazioologist," or an expert on magical animals, who wrote the first-year textbook that Harry uses in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Warner Bros. announced in September 2013 that the studio would be teaming up with Rowling for a series of films based on Fantastic Beasts. The New York Times previously reported that the story "will start in New York about seven decades before the arrival of Mr. Potter and his pals," which explains Rowling's tweet about fauna in New York. Rowling is penning the screenplay for the film, which will be her first.
So that may solve the mystery of what screenplay Rowling is putting the final touches on, but what about the novel? Rowling has been mostly mum on that, unless her tweets about Newt also have to do with the new book. Could "Newt Scamander's History of New York Fauna: One town, my tale" be another one of Newt's textbooks to be released as a full-fledged book? Or could she be writing a novel about Harry and the gang as adults as a sort of continuation of the short story she released on Pottermore in July? As with anything in the Potterverse, I'm sure the mystery will continue.
