• Harry Potter fans

Harry Potter fans (Photo : REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

With J. K. Rowling keeping out of public eye for some time now, this has led many to construe if this has anything to do with the coming of a new sequel to the hugely popular Harry Potter series. It has been eight long years since the last book in the Harry Potter series was penned, which has led many to believe its high time we have a brand new version to hook on to.

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Rowling though isn't so kind and has made it amply clear there is no new Harry Potter in the works.

"I'm afraid I haven't been writing the next Harry Potter," Rowling said in an interview with Matt Lauer for Today.

Much of it can be explained by the fact that Rowling has her hands full at the moment, busy as she is writing the script for 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', the film adaption of her book of the same name.

This very act has further added fuel to the rumour fire claiming a new Harry Potter book could well be next in line. Interestingly, Rowling too has chosen to keep the hope alive though in a more pragmatic tone, she cautioned it's too early to expect anything concrete on this.

"So, you know, that door is always opened to me. But I think 'Harry Potter 8,' as in what happened next to Harry, Ron and Hermione - I don't think that's going to happen."

Another reason for Rowling to not to get into writing a new Potter novel is her involvement with Lumos, a charitable organization dedicated to orphans worldwide. Rowling puts in a lot of time, effort, and money to Lumos that aims to make the world free of children dying of poverty.

In a related development, actor Eddie Redmayne could well be seen adding his grace to the character Newt Scamander in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", according to VanityFair. Redmayne is still fresh from wining the Oscar for Best Actor in "The Theory of Everything".

Redmayne though has stated he would be making the final call only after having read the script; and the script is still being written.

The book is written by Scamander, who is described as a magic zoologist. The book that is often considered a Harry Potter spinoff centers around his magical adventures and is set in New York 70 years before Harry Potter comes to the big scene.