Will the Harry Potter fandom get the final movie?

The scar had not pained Harry Potter for 19 years. All was well.

Was that the last time you cried so hard, Potterheads? If yes, it’s time again.

Words are that Harry Potter might return to screen and if the FRIENDS Reunion made you cry, please order a few more extra tissue boxes before reading this, especially if you’re a diehard Potterhead like me.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was published as a two act stage play and took up the story from the iconic epilogue scene from Deathly Hallows Part 2, where we see Harry, Ron and Hermione as parents, all grown up.

Ever since it released back in 2016, we Potterheads have been wondering if we will ever see it being adapted for screen. One swipe of the wand, and it could become the Harry Potter reunion movie.

J. K Rowling and Warner Bros have both earlier officially denied any plans of bringing The Cursed Child on screen. But recently, WarnerMedia’s CEO Jason Kilar made some comments where he hinted another film set in the Harry Potter Universe, and that got us all excited, once again.

1. Will Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Happen?

All was well and good like Harry’s scar, until CEO Jason Kilar, in one of his keynote speeches teased another movie about the Wizarding World after the horrendous Fantastic Beasts series.

Though the WB CEO did not explicitly mention Cursed Child, he hinted in his speech that another project set in the HP universe Wizarding World is on the cards and many fingers are being pointed at The Cursed Child, considering its popularity.

Since the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2, which is the last film of the Harry Potter series, Warner Bros have tried to revive the Wizarding World with the Fantastic Beasts series. But I think we can all agree that it was a major disappointment. So I am kind of hoping The Cursed Child could be the next in line to be adapted for the screen.

Other rumors suggest that Kilar was actually hinting at a live-action Harry Potter spin-off television series which is reportedly being developed for HBO Max. We can’t say for sure what he meant yet, but something is indeed cooking.

2. Is Cursed Child A Sequel to Deathly Hallows?

The Deathly Hallows Part 2 was the last film in the Harry Potter series, based on Rowling’s last novel in the book series of the same name. I would not say it is an immediate sequel, but chronologically the events of the Cursed Child are set after the Deathly Hallows.

So yes, technically it is a sequel, but not in the sense that it is another Harry Potter adventure. The Cursed Child tells the story of the next generation, featuring the kids of Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione and of course, Draco Malfoy.

So it is more like a spin-off rather than a sequel in the strict sense of the term. Though the Cursed Child does feature the main characters from the original series and is also set in Hogwarts. The story is based on important events from the original series as well.

In other words, it is difficult to be seen as a standalone story. To be able to understand the events, you got to relate it to the original series. So in that sense you can say it is a sequel and it can be considered as the eight Harry Potter film.

3. Will the Harry Potter Cast Return?

If the next Warner Bros. film set in the Wizarding World is indeed an adaptation of The Cursed Child, then in all probability, our beloved cast should and MUST return.

Though the HP Book Series and the HP Movie Series debate is a long standing one, I think all Potterheads can agree that Daniel Radcliffe has become the face of The Boy Who Lived, one of the most iconic characters of English literature and popular culture today.

So even if you’re one of those people who is not a big fan of the films and would rather go with the books, it is hard to imagine literally anyone except Radcliffe in that role. In fact, I cannot and refuse to imagine anyone but Rupert Grint as Ronald Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

Anyways, there is indeed potential and enough chance for the original cast to reprise their roles in a potential film adaptation of The Cursed Child, since the original play features Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Professor McGonagall is also pretty much there. (And she is Head Mistress of Hogwarts!!)

I would say the return of the original cast would actually be all the more reason people would want to watch this potential film, because otherwise it will be difficult for those of us who has grown up reading and watching HP to be able to relate to the universe.

4. What’s Cursed Child About?

The Cursed Child is set 19 years after the events of the Deathly Hallows and picks up from the epilogue scene in the film and the same one in the book, where Harry and Ginny bids farewell to Albus Severus Potter, their younger son while he leaves for Hogwarts.

The story is about Albus Severus and his contemporaries, with Draco’s son Scorpius Malfoy playing an important role. It picks up a lot of events from the original series, particularly Cedric’s death in Goblet of Fire and builds the plot on that.

In short, it is like a new adventure, only this time the centre of attention is not Harry Potter but his younger son Albus Severus Potter (who btw, is in Slytherin).

5. Should There Be A Film Adaptation for The Cursed Child?

As much as I love Harry Potter and would do anything to get another chance to relive that magic once again, I think it is a bad idea.

First of all, the play is extremely loosely written with nothing of the charm of the original series present. It was not written by Rowling alone and does not have even a pinch of the illustruous descriptions and witty humor that the original books have.

So marketing it as the eighth HP film would be a blasphemy. The Fantastic Beasts series have already ruined a lot of our expectations, and I would not want to see something like that again. When I read the play, it already disappointed me because HP is about magic and The Cursed Child included timelines and stuff, ruining the whole point.

Was it so necessary to bring in Marvelesque sort of timeline and multiple figures and time travelling and what not in it? Harry Potter is set in a world of magic, where it is magic that is the driving force of life and that world is a reality we all crave. The unique aspect of this dystopian world is the fact that is so alike ours.

There are deaths in this universe and the dead cannot be brought back. Once someone is gone, they cannot come back from an alternate timeline and neither does anyone have superpowers to change the world. Every student must learn magic and understand their special qualities.

In short, there is no out of the world stuff. Magic is magnificient, but it is also human. It is special, but learning magic doesn’t make you invincible. Bringing in elements like timelines or super hero factors in the series would just ruin the unique aspect of it.

The Cursed Child does that and makes the joke of the time turner, so that did not sit well with me.

Secondly, as much as I rambled about how the OG cast MUST return, there is no guarantee that it would happen. Warner Bros can very well cast another actor to play Harry and the same for his friends.

Atleast most of us who would look forward to such a film would do so because it would give us a chance to watch Harry Ron and Hermione on screen again and if that does not happen the way we expected, what is the point?

Thirdly, it would break a lot of hearts. As someone who has grown up reading Harry Potter and waiting for my Hogwarts letter, I think the charm of the series is that it ended as and when it should have ended and Rowling refused to stretch it until it gets boring.

Everytime I reread the books and watch those films again, I feel like there is a charm in that which another spin-off, film or fan fictions can never bring back. There is absolutely nothing that managed to match up to the original HP series and I don’t think we should be trying.

Having said all that, yes, I would sniff and cry in theatres if I ever get another Harry Potter movie, provided the HP cast returns and the charm of Rowling’s words are kept intact, atleast to some extent.

Lastly, I would just want to remind you, Potterheads – “Whether you come back by page, or by big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” So even if we do not get another movie, our home will always be there, ready to welcome us back.

6. About Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a 2016 British two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Thorne. The Broadway play stars actors Anthony Boyle, Sam Clemmett, Noma Dumezweni, Poppy Miller, Jamie Parker, Alex Price, and Paul Thornley.

The play opened on Broadway on 21 April 2018 at the Lyric Theatre, with previews starting on 16 March 2018. It is currently off the theatres since the COVID pandemic and won’t return before 2022 despite Broadway reopening by Sept. 2021.

The story begins nineteen years after the events of the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and his younger son, Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The play is marketed as the eighth story in the Harry Potter series.

Series Description: Harry Potter And The Cursed Child