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J K Rowling is to collaborate on a new stage play about Harry Potter's life before he went to Hogwarts, set for development in 2014.
The author will be a co-producer and collaborate with a writer on the play although she will not write the script herself. The production will be steered by London and New York producers Colin Callender and Sonia Friedman, who worked on West End hit "The Book of Mormon".
The play will tell "the previously untold story of Harry Potter's early years as an orphan and outcast" and feature "some of our favourite characters from the Harry Potter books", offering "a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard."
Rowling said: "Over the years I have received countless approaches about turning Harry Potter into a theatrical production, but Sonia and Colin's vision was the only one that really made sense to me, and which had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry's story to the stage. After a year in gestation it is exciting to see this project moving on to the next phase."
She added: "I'd like to thank Warner Bros [makers of the Harry Potter films] for their continuing support in this project."
Her spokesperson declined to give further details on Warner Bros' involvement.
In September, it was announced that Rowling will write a new film based in the Harry Potter universe for Warner Bros, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
Earlier this month, publisher Bloomsbury said it would be releasing illustrated versions of the entire series, starting with the first book in September 2015.