Read it and weep, friends. Publishers Weekly reports that the Hollywood money mavens with the rights to exploit the sub-creation have fought clear of their leash:
The Lexicon suit is not the only Potter buzz of the week, either. An Australian site is reporting that a new Web site—”harry potter book 8 secret test marketing”—is counting down the days to a project called James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing, rumored to be an eighth Harry Potter novel. Warner Bros., whom many believe is behind the Web site, has neither confirmed nor denied involvement with the rumored project, but a studio spokesperson offered this comment on the site: “Many fans believe that James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing may be the eighth book of the series—but written by someone other than author J.K. Rowling.”
Perhaps someone can explain to me the bright side of this news. I cannot see the silver lining on this looming dark cloud.
My meadow muffin detectors are madly quivering. I await, with great skepticism, further developments on this unlikely prospect.
Fullatricks saw a prospect and just ate it…
I can distinctly remember JKR saying a prequel will be so “Star Wars”, and I have some trouble believing she’s authorizing any prequels. If she’s so protective of her work and her rights as we know she is (e.g. she’s suing Steve and RDR for the Lexicon book), then a prequel authored by someone else will be… well, weird. Do we know if it’s supposed to be a novel?
It feels like a hoax, something a fan created. Maybe it’s an elaborate fanfic or fan film or fan online game or fan site?
Time to bring out our sneakoscopes….
Wouldn’t JKR have to release the rights to use any characters directly related to the HP series for projects like this?
I thought that was the whole reason that JKR agreed to have WB film the books–that she would have control over the content and there would only be movies based on her seven books. So how could WB be involved in anything that would be outside the seven books? It doesn’t make any sense.
This, to me, is like any sequel/prequel to “Gone with the Wind”. Not written by the original author, then I’m not interested.
Thanks for the info.
Pat
if they’re having focus groups, hopefully they’ll get the message that fans don’t want another novel at the expense of it not being JKR. the entire idea is ridiculous.. you’d think they’d learn something from other folks in the industry. Sullivan Entertainment had a great thing with Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, which were relatively close to the books, but I have yet to meet someone who really likes the latest Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story which is totally outside the realm of LM Montogomery’s works.. Did folks watch it because they liked the first two? sure. But it’s crap compared to the first two, and I cringe to think of the new prequel coming out.
if folks decide that they like to make money off quality things by low quality things, they’ll end up with neither money nor something they can be proud of. what a ridiculous idea.
~Nzie
I was just visiting HPANA.com (The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator) and they posted this 2 minutes after John’s post went up about the same issue:
http://www.hpana.com/news.20263.html
They quote Rowling’s agent as saying “Jo has not written an eighth book in the series and is not doing so. So no James Potter book I’m afraid.”
They have also posted an update stating that Warner Brothers assures them that the elderscrossing.com site is not connected to them.
I smell a hoax!
Outstanding. Thank you Ceirdwyn!
Good to know my meadow muffin detectors are in good working order.
Too bad they don’t work on Luscious Badboy, sly puss…
A brief technical analysis of the website http://www.elderscrossing.com shows the following:
1. The domain name is registered through 1&1 Limited a popular provider of inexpensive bulk websites to the general public. The registration is made through their German office, 1und1. Both the Warner Brothers and JKRowling websites are through other providers which specialize in higher volume, higher dollar business.
2. The registration is a “blind registration” referring all comments to the 1&1 administrative staff. Warner Brothers references their corporate office, JK Rowling references her literary agent.
3. All .com, .net, .edu, etc. name options for the Warner Brothers and JK Rowling sites are also taken. Only the .com option is taken for elderscrossing. This is a primary indication that elderscrossing is not a major corporation at work, the big guys will always take the common alternative name options of any name they reserve (it only costs #10 or usually less per year for each one).
4. The site itself consists of only a rather impressive looking Adobe Flash intro screen with high and low speed connection options. They both end up with the same final screen, but the high-speed option uses a flying wand to morph the HARRY POTTER part of the title into JAMES POTTER. The initial impression is that the Flash intro is well done and closely matches the look and feel of the real Harry Potter/Warner Bros sites; however, looking closer using a slight magnification on the Flash screen it becomes obvious that the background is actually quite simply done and is probably not the product of a commercial art house.
5. Playing with the screen a little reveals a “Peruvian Ballistic Bean” in the right hand corner. Clicking this brings up a pop-up requesting your email address so that the webmaster can send you the “first password” to enter the site on launch day. I would recommend NOT doing this! At best I think it would lead to your getting an inbox full of SPAM, at worst, it could send you a link that launches a mean-evil-and-nasty virus of some kind. If this thing is a legitimate fan-site or Warner Bros knock-off site, you will find out about it at High Noon US Central Standard time and I am sure there will be lots of press coverage of what ever happen then. If it is for real and not a scam or worse you will have plenty of time to participate then…you don’t have to be first in this line.
6. The popup to enter your email and userid preferences is a stock plug-in by formmail.com. This plug-in will take any information that you enter on the form, place it in an email and send it to the person leasing the site. There is nothing particularly wrong with this except that it once more SCREAMS small peanuts operation. Major operators have the form store its information on a database at the site. Also, formmail.com is not a US company, therefore, sub-subpoena’s from American courts will not get the name of whomever is running the site.
7. Finally the launching of whatever it is takes place at Noon, not mid-night, CENTRAL STANDARD TIME????. No match to anything Rowling or Warner Bros related. It does however match the time zone that a 1&1 server in their main data center in Kansas City, Kansas would show.
It is my opinion that HogPros should steer clear of this site and let the Rita Skeeter’s of the world tell us what it might contain. Note it may be a real Fan Site and we may want to go there later in the month of December and enjoy all sorts of fun…but my Sneak-O-Scope is rotating in high gear at the moment. Better methinks to be second, third of fourth Hog to this trough.
It certainly sounds like a hoax …but…
Rowling has said that there will only 7 Harry Potter books. Does this mean that there will be 7 only from her, 7 with Harry as the protagonist, more from other “authorised” writers?
It sounds like it could be like James Cameron and his Terminator movies. Terminator 3 happened without his input even though he was the writer and creator of the “Terminator” universe. They offered him the director’s job for it but he said that he wouldn’t be a part of something that happened in his stories that he did not conceive of.
What’s to stop the same thing happening to Rowling?
Matthew
JAB’s visit to this site and description of what it is about that he wrote above is excellent reading. I certainly won’t be checking it out and hope y’all will be very cautious. Caveat Surfor.
Matthew, I’m assuming Ms. Rowling cut a better deal than Mr. Cameron did. But I don’t know the answer to your question. Next time I have tea with Ms. Rowling, Arabella, and the kitties, though, I pledge that I will bring it up.
I nominate JAB and Ceirdwyn for co-Auror honors! Great job…and you didn’t have to use Polyjuice to get the inside scoop!
I wonder if Arabella’s kitties get goofy when she has to get out her scoop? We once had a dog which loved to be vacuumed (on low setting, of course)! 🙂
The folks on the clairvoyantwank community at JournalFen have already exposed the Elders’ Crossing site as a hoax.
It’s nothing more than an elaborate means of promotion for a work of fanfiction about Harry Potter’s son. The author has also worked as an animator for many years, hence the high production values.
Yes, JAB and Ceirdwyn for honors! Great detective work!
Pj, the kitties just stand around supervising and kibbitzing whilst their chambermaid (moi) gets out the scoop. However, my husband had a family cat that liked to be vacuumed. No self-respect at all, apparently.
Whoosh! And Fullatricks flys by the door after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Tamed…
http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/11/13/rumor-squashed-no-james-potter-site-movie-or-spin-off-series
End of story. Add Publisher’s Weekly to your Daily Prophet dependable new sourse list…
Arabella–If you still read this particular thread, I have to thank you for the meadow muffin reference above. I laughed out loud at the creative way you put that, and it’s becoming part of my personal lexicon. My husband and I are IMing a lot since he’s currently deployed, and it has become a great source of hillarity between us, even through the miles. Thanks again!!
Hoping the kitties are all well and happy, but NOT pursuing any meadow muffins… 🙂
Jk should call her eighth book : Harry potter and the new beginning
Cool name =D