Yesterday, we saw the first official poster for author J.K. Rowling's upcoming Harry Potter play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is scheduled to debut next summer at the Palace Theater in London's West End. The play was first announced this past summer, with the author confirming that this new story is not a prequel. Although no story details had been released, until now. The author's Pottermore website has issued the first official synopsis, which reveals that this play is actually the eighth story in the iconic Harry Potter franchise. Take a look at the plot details below.

"It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

The very end of the last movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, showed Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his wife Ginny (Bonnie Wright) taking their children James Sirius Potter and Albus Severus Potter to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, for their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The play will feature over 30 characters, with the cast to be announced at a later date. Here's what J.K. Rowling, writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany had to say in a joint statement.

"It is very exciting to explore Harry's world in a brand new way through the live form of theatre. Collaborating on this story is exhilarating for all of us and we can't wait to present the eighth story at the Palace Theatre next summer."

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child comes to London's West End summer 2016. Tickets go on sale online only at 11 AM GMT on Wednesday October 28, on a first come first served basis to all who have registered for priority booking, and at 11 AM GMT on Friday October 30 to the general public. You can still register for priority booking at HarryPotterthePlay.com to have the first opportunity to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Priority registration closes Saturday October 24 at 11.45 PM BST. Here's what J.K. Rowling had to say in an additional statement.

"The story only exists because the right group of people came together with a brilliant idea about how to present Harry Potter on stage. I'm confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way."

There had been rumors that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was a prequel, exploring Harry Potter's parents, Lily Evans Potter and James Potter, before they were killed by Lord Voldemort, but now we know for sure those rumors were false. Given the massive popularity of the franchise, it's possible, even likely, that Warner Bros. could acquire the rights and develop a movie adaptation of the stage play, but we'll have to wait and see. J.K. Rowling is also writing the script for the Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is currently in production and set for release on November 18, 2016. The story is set 70 years before Harry Potter first set foot in Hogwarts. What do you think about the first plot details for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?