By JILL LAWLESS, AP
Wed Jun 22, 1:31 PM EDT
LONDON ? Harry Potter fans are holding their collective breath as author J.K. Rowling gets set to reveal her latest project involving the boy wizard.
Rowling has called a news conference Thursday in London to reveal details of "Pottermore," a mysterious website that has been taunting fans with the words "coming soon."
Theories include a Harry Potter encyclopedia, e-book versions of the novels or an Internet-based game.
Several British newspapers received what appeared to be a leaked marketing memo indicating the site is a Web-based game including a hunt for real magic wands. But Rowling spokeswoman Rebecca Salt said the memo, dated December 2010, was "an out of date document that got sent out by mistake" and that true details of the project would be revealed Thursday.
"Pottermore" was trademarked in 2009 by Warner Bros., which distributes the Potter movies, but Salt said the site was not directly linked to the latest film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," which has its world premiere in London on July 7.
Rowling has not ruled out writing more books set in the Potter universe, but Salt has said that "Pottermore" is not a new book.
The trademark description suggests an interactive site "providing online chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards" and "online facilities for real-time interaction with other computer users concerning topics of general interest."
A leading Potter fan site, http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org, said it had seen a preview of Pottermore and called it "breathtaking."
The Harry Potter books have sold about 450 million copies worldwide and spawned a hit movie franchise and a theme park. Forbes magazine has ranked Rowling as one of the richest women in Britain, with an estimated wealth of $1 billion.
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