The Harry Potter franchise has earned a new lease on life after the release of the video game Hogwarts Legacy. The Fantastic Beasts spinoff was not been able to recapture the magic of the original series but it looks like they’re ready to try again with a film version of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play.
This news comes from one of those famous “inside sources” from the very “reputable” tabloid, The Sun, so while the news should be taken with a grain of salt, it does make sense to do this, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s kind of thinking the tabloids are hoping for?
So what did the source say?
“Warner Bros. are currently looking at how to bring The Cursed Child to the big screen. It has been in their sights since the play proved to be so popular in the West End. It went onto the backburner for a while because there was so much work going on with the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
“A line has been temporarily drawn on [Fantastic Beasts] for now, especially given its lacklustre performance, so it’s full steam ahead when it comes to developing The Cursed Child.”
The source added that none of this would be happening soon as the project is still in its “very formative stages” and the goal is to get the original main cast to return, including Daniel Radcliffe.
“Everyone who works within the Harry Potter world wants Daniel to be back, but first they have to iron out the plan for how many films it will be, a reworked script, and budgets. The hope at the moment is that The Cursed Child could be made into two films – both which would pack as much punch, if not more, than the stage show.”
It will be tough to get Daniel back as he has made comments in 2022 that he isn’t interested in a Cursed Child movie.
As he told Variety, “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.
“I’m never going to say never, but the ‘Star Wars’ guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it’s only been 10. It’s not something I’m really interested in doing right now.”
In November 2021, director, Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone), mentioned that it has always been “small fantasy” of his to create a film version of The Cursed Child.
As Columbus told Variety, “I would love to direct The Cursed Child. It’s a great play and the kids [Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint] are actually the right age to play those roles. It’s a small fantasy of mine.”
The Cursed Child may have been a tremendous financial success, but the response from critics and even fans has been less than desirable. There are countless fan reviews online berating the play for character inconsistencies, a lack of logic, and in the pure words of the internet, cringe. If Warner Bros. want to make an impression after Fantastic Beasts, there may be a desire for some rewrites.
