j.k. rowling
J.K. Rowling, seen here at a fundraiser for her children's charity, Lumos, gave "Harry Potter" fans a glimmer of hope for an eighth book during an appearance on "Today." Reuters

“Harry Potter” fans, brace yourselves. J.K. Rowling appeared Friday on NBC's “Today” show, where she was asked about the possibility of writing an eighth installment in the “Harry Potter” series. While most viewers expected the answer to be a hard “no” after she had previously announced the series’ end, Rowling’s response shocked fans of the seven-book series.

“I have always said, never say never,” she quipped. “I’ve always said I’m not going to say ‘I definitely won't' because I don’t see why I should say that. You know, it’s my world and I might choose to step back into it. I’m stepping back into that world, writing the script for ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’”

Unfortunately, it seems her comment was nothing more than a joke. She quickly cleared up any confusion, saying Potter fans shouldn’t expect any updates on Harry, Ron or Hermione anytime soon. “I don’t think that’s going to happen," Rowling admitted. The best-selling author then shared a laugh with host Matt Lauer about the likelihood that her words would be twisted, making it appear like she’d make a major announcement.

“But even as I answer that, I know that someone’s cutting this on YouTube to make it as though I gave you hope,” she noted.

It appears Rowling's fans will have to hold out to get their magic fix from the English author. As Rowling shared on "Today," she is currently in the process of writing the script for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which will be a trilogy. According to reports, the film will feature creatures from the “Harry Potter” books, though it remains unclear which, if any, well-known wizards will cameo.

The films will follow a character named Newt Scamander on his wild adventures while writing the book on which the film is based. Though some aspects of the film may seem familiar to Potter fans, it has been reported that “Fantastic Beasts” takes place a full 70 years before any of the "Harry Potter" books and films. According to VC Post, David Heyman has signed on to produce the movies. It remains unclear who else will be a part of Rowling’s latest project.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is slated to hit theaters in November 2016.

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