LONDON (REUTERS) — British author J.K. Rowling will not write an eighth episode of the popular Harry Potter series, her agent said Monday.
Rowling, whose boy-wizard tales have made her a worldwide publishing phenomenon, dismissed British media speculation that she may be planning an extra book.
“The plan is to have only seven books in the series,” Neil Blair, of Christopher Little literary agents, told Reuters. “There is no truth in the rumors [of an eighth book].”
British media speculated the author’s millions of fans may be treated to extra stories after three Harry Potter titles were registered at the UK Patent Office.
The Scotsman reported that U.S. film studio Warner Brothers, which releases its second Harry Potter film next month, has registered three more Harry Potter titles as trademarks, raising the possibility of an eighth volume.
A Reuters search of the UK Patent Office trademark database confirmed the extra titles as “Harry Potter and the Alchemist’s Cell,” “Harry Potter and the Chariots of Light” and “Harry Potter and the Pyramids of Furmat.”
Warner Brothers filed the titles for registration in April 2000, shortly before the publication of the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” whose title was also filed at the same time, the records show.
Warner Brothers filed “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” for registration as a trademark in October 2000.
Rowling’s agent said none of the registered names would be used for any future Potter book.
No one from Warner Brothers was immediately available for comment.
The first four Potter books have sold 175 million copies worldwide. The books are published by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in the United States.
Warner Brothers’ first Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (“Sorcerer’s Stone” in the United States), has earned more than $900 million since its release last November.
The second film, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” opens in Britain and the United States Nov. 15.