We know that Warner Bros. has been actively looking for ways to expand the wizarding world of Harry Potter, but how likely are we to get a new film, a sequel, or a remake in the near future?
The acclaimed status of the film franchise, which ran from 2001 to 2011, arguably doesn’t leave a lot of leeway for a remake, but that has hardly stopped Hollywood moguls before. In fact, it has been confirmed that a television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy saga with a whole different cast is already in the works.
Many Potterheads have been left wondering why WB is going to such lengths just to reproduce Harry Potter with a fresh coat of paint, but according to the producers have claimed as part of the announcement, this new series is going to be meticulously adapting every bit of the Harry Potter novels that didn’t make it to the big screen.
Frankly, that doesn’t begin to justify a television show by half, but Harry Potter is one of the most prized IPs currently out there. If Amazon is willing to throw away more than a billion dollars developing a mediocre Lord of the Rings television adaptation, what’s stopping a rival from doing the same with their No. 1 moneymaker? (Ironically enough, Warner continues to retain the rights to Lord of the Rings movies.)
So, whether we’d like to admit it or not, there’s probably going to be another Harry Potter movie somewhere down the line, but how far away and in what form are the real questions…
Will there be another Harry Potter movie?
For years now, Potterheads have had to live with the dreadful possibility of a Cursed Child movie adaptation looming on the horizon.
For those of you who don’t know, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was J.K. Rowling’s official sequel to The Deathly Hallows, taking place many years after the events of that book and centering around Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s children. There were a host of controversial creative decisions bogging down The Cursed Child, and suffice it to say, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, Potterhead or otherwise, who doesn’t hate that story.
Luckily, Warner Bros. has shown a surprising sense of insight by avoiding The Cursed Child up to this point but the rumor mill has recently been abuzz with speculation. Further fanning those flames was director Chris Columbus’ remarks to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of directing The Cursed Child.
“A version of Cursed Child with Dan, Rupert and Emma at the right age, it’s cinematic bliss,” he said. “If you’re a film nerd or cinephile, it’s kind of like what Abrams did with Star Wars. There’s no question if you’re a Star Wars fan, you were moved just seeing them on screen, seeing Harrison Ford as Han Solo again and Chewy. I think that would be the same situation for Harry Potter fans. To able to actually see these adult actors now back in these roles? Oh, yeah. It would be amazingly fun to make that film or two films.”
As for the cast members, we have a clip of Rupert Grint saying that he’d love to return to the role if the project gets the timing right and everyone else is on board.
“I don’t hate the idea of it,” he explains. “I mean, it was a character that I love. As long as everyone else was on board, I probably would.”
Rupert goes on to explain that it might also be a good idea to “pass the torch” and let someone else have a go at his character, which, with the television reboot currently undergoing pre-production, is likely happening.
Daniel Radcliffe, on the other hand, wishes to let the past die.
“This isn’t the answer that anybody’s going to want, but I think I was so able to go back and enjoy it because it’s not a part of my day-to-day life anymore,” he told The New York Times in 2022. “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, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life.”
Frankly, after watching Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and reliving all those nostalgic memories, few of us would be actively against the idea of another sequel movie, even if it does end up adapting The Cursed Child in all of its distasteful disregard for established lore and continuity.
However, there have been no announcements yet, and the rest of the scuttlebutt should be taken with a boatload of salt. Besides, with Fantastic Beasts 3 going down as the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise, I think it’s safe to say that WB will think twice before greenlighting another big-screen venture.
