Harry Potter 2023

Director Chris Columbus has stated interest in continuing the Harry Potter franchise by making the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child into a movie. Here's everything we know about it. Ever since the Harry Potter movie franchise's flash-forward epilogue in 2011, fans have been asking for more stories set in the Wizarding World. Their wishes were granted in the form of a two-part onstage sequel to the books, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as well as the release of prequels Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (and, reportedly, two further installments).

The Fantastic Beasts series is surrounded by controversy and has underperformed compared to its predecessor. The second movie of the prequel series, The Crimes of Grindelwald, received brutal reviews after its 2018 release. The studio has been trying to rectify the situation by recasting Johnny Depp's role as Gellert Grindelwald with Mads Mikkelsen, who has been deemed a better fit for the character in many critics’ opinions. It might entice viewers to give Fantastic Beasts another chance. In any case, a new Harry Potter project could breathe fresh air into the wider franchise and distract from Fantastic Beasts' failings.

The director of the first two Harry Potter movies, Chris Columbus, openly stated that the only way the franchise could continue would be an adaptation of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Since the play has already proven very popular, it's only natural that fans would want a glimpse into the HP trio's lives after the Second Wizarding World War. An adaptation of the show, written by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, would most likely grab the attention of many fans who were perhaps unable to see the production live and had to be content with reading the screenplay alone.

Chris Columbus Wants To Make A Cursed Child Movie

Chris Columbus first mentioned his interest in making a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie during an interview with Variety. The interview itself was for a special 20th-anniversary celebration of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Columbus stated "I would love to direct “The Cursed Child.” It’s a great play and the kids are actually the right age to play those roles. It’s a small fantasy of mine." While it's true that the Harry Potter trio may be the right-ish age to play their adult counterparts, the entirety of this Chris Columbus fantasy hinges on whether or not the cast wants to return. A Cursed Child movie simply wouldn't be the same without the original cast, and it's doubtful Warner Bros. would agree to a film without them. All of that being said, the idea of making the HP sequel is a decent one. The Fantastic Beasts prequel (which isn't necessarily a prequel at all) has gotten a lot of flack, therefore it might be a better idea to fast-forward in the timeline, rather than go back. There were many fans of the Harry Potter franchise that didn't get to see the play for themselves. The Cursed Child could be looking at sky-high presales.

Could Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Happen?

While JK Rowling and Warner Bros. have both denied that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would ever be adapted for the big screen in the past, Kilar's remarks rekindled old rumors. There are a great many avenues a future Potter project could take, including a series about the Marauders or Harry's career as an Auror. Adapting the play to a movie would open the content to Potterheads who weren't able to see the play. But taking into account that the play is shown in two parts because of its length, many argue that a movie version of Harry Potter in the Cursed Child wouldn't work, and it might be better suited to a TV show format. The studio has announced a call for writers on a potential spinoff show set in the world of Harry Potter, as it happens.

Would The Harry Potter Cast Return?

While recasting the beloved original cast of the Harry Potter franchise would prove a challenging endeavor, the studio might have to for story continuity. The characters are considerably older in the play; Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in their late 30s when the play takes place. The original three actors of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are all in their early 30s, still a bit too young to convincingly be just a stone's throw away from 40. However, should the studio decide to adapt Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sometime in the future, they need only wait a few years for their original trio to fit the roles.

Another thing to consider is how Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally cast, which had caused inevitable controversy back in 2016: Hermione Granger’s role was cast with a Black actress, which Rowling defended by saying that Hermione’s skin color had never been described in detail in the novels. Perhaps Rowling was asserting that anyone could play Hermione so long as she embodied the essence of the character, but if the studio decides to recast the main trio, they should lean into fully recasting every role.

Out of all the Harry Potter actors, Tom Felton is the most likely to return without question. In an interview with People, Felton displayed nothing but positivity about the possibility of returning to the Malfoy family: "Any chance to be a Malfoy again would be greatly accepted.". He also states that the idea of someone else filling the role of minor antagonist Draco Malfoy would be hard to swallow, as he feels a bit of (rightful) ownership over how he shaped the character over the course of a decade. The other members of the Harry Potter cast haven't been as forthcoming about the prospect of reprising their respective roles. Emma Watson has basically stated that she isn't really ready to be Hermione again, while Rupert Grint and Bonnie Wright are only willing to return if everyone else does. Matthew Lewis will come back, but only if the storyline is worthwhile and not nostalgic for nostalgia's sake. Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, has the most surprising answer out of all of the cast.

Daniel Radcliffe Won't Make A Cursed Child Movie... Yet

Daniel Radcliffe won't be returning for Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. Out of the entire cast, Radcliffe has been the most adamant about the fact that he's not ready to jump back into his titular role yet. It's understandable, given that Harry Potter's the Boy Who Lived had a slow start with his career outside of Harry Potter and has only just begun to shed the persona as a whole. The idea was brought up to the actor during an interview with The New York Times. Radcliffe went on to say, "I'm getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter okay, and I'm really happy with where I am now,". He then went on to compare his role to that of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Harrison Ford as Han Solo, basically saying that they were allowed at least 30 years before returning to their defining parts. This should at least give hope to audiences that while Daniel Radcliffe doesn't want to make another Harry Potter movie any time soon, he could still be open to it in future.

The Cursed Child Story

Set 19 years later after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins with 37-year-old parents Harry, Ron, and Hermione seeing their children off to Hogwarts at Platform 9 3/4. The play continues Harry Potter’s story through his son, Albus, following Albus Severus Potter as he uncovers secrets from his father’s past in a time-travel adventure. On top of the original set of characters, the play also features Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius, Hermione and Ron’s daughter Rose, as well as Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange’s surprise offspring Delphi. The time-travel aspect of the play could make for a very engaging movie or TV series, both for loyal Potter fans and new audiences, by exploring much of the original story through a fresh lens.

Harry Potter & The Cursed Child's Release Date Is Unconfirmed

Since nothing has been confirmed by either Warner Bros. or JK Rowling, there is no way to predict when a new Harry Potter movie or TV show might be released. However, an adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not entirely out of the question. The Potter Universe has struggled lately with the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but bringing back Watson, Radcliffe, and Grint could tempt fans into giving new Potter content a chance. Whether or not Chris Columbus can live out his fantasy by making Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or some other new content, the idea hinges entirely on whether the original HP trio wants to make a return – and that won't happen any time soon.

Next: What Harry Potter's Cast Has Done Since The Movies Ended