Sir John Hurt, who played the role of Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter movies, has announced that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Hurt said that he has always been open about his life, and the diagnosis of early stages of cancer won’t stop him from working and creating films. At 75 years …read more!

J.K. Rowling was happy to share (Tweet) that her friend, Robert Galbraith, has been nominated for a CWA Dagger Award for The Silkworm. A CWA award is given to the best crime novel of the year. The Silkworm was nominated for the first round of nominations. A short list of nominees will be released June 30. Robert …read more!

Jim Broadbent, the actor known to Potter fans as Professor Slughorn, has his first art exhibit this summer.  “The People,” a collection of wood-carved figures, are now on display at London’s Southbank Centre as part of the Festival of Love until August 31. According to The Guardian, Broadbent began carving the figures out of found …read more!

Katherine Waterston, previously seen with Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, has been cast to play Tina (short for Porpentina), a witch operating in the U.S. A report by  The Hollywood Reporter and the announcement made by Warner Bros. state the following: “Porpentina meets magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne) when he stops in New York City …read more!

Broadway.com has released an interview with Imelda Staunton (the actress who portrayed Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films) about her current performance in the Broadway production “Gypsy.” In the interview, Staunton speaks to some of the unique challenges involved in acting in a Broadway production. She previously won Olivier Awards for her Baker’s Wife in the …read more!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part II once held the record for largest opening weekend revenues by grossing $483.2 million worldwide. However, Deathly Hallows has recently been dethroned with the unexpected popularity of Jurassic World. Jurassic World is the first film to bring in over $500 million in box office revenues in one weekend, with …read more!

J.K. Rowling’s child protection charity, Lumos, announced the release of their new film, ‘The Invisible Borders of Childhood’, in collaboration with their client, the European Commission.       The film depicts various scenes of childhood life shot in Colombia. The first speaker, Jose Luis Campo, is General Coordinator of the educational community Benposta Nación de Muchachos – an educational …read more!

The latest additions to Warner Bro’s The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour in the UK  are a ‘Sweets and Treats’ feature and the return of ‘Back to School’ workshops for the summer season. The former can be seen between the 20th July – 6th September, and will involve demonstrations by prop makers who made treats such as …read more!

Newly welcomed star of’ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Theory of Everything Oscar winner and Red Tony Award winner Eddie Redmayne has been appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. His contributions to drama were honoured as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours yesterday. Others appearing on the list of those honoured included Benedict …read more!

In news that might make even Madam Pince crack a smile, the Harry Potter series has been featured in the new edition of The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature, published this past March in the UK, and June 1 in the US.  This leading encyclopedia of children’s literature of all types now includes entries on …read more!