Harry Potter is one of the biggest and most beloved franchises. So, it makes sense that it would fall under one of the properties that Warner Bros is trying to expand along with the IPs Lord of the Rings and the DCEU under the leadership of CEO David Zaslav.
However, when it comes to more Harry Potter movies and TV series, it seems like the studio may have an uphill battle – thanks to JK Rowling and her team. Over the years, all of the Harry Potter books have been adapted for the big screen already, and a prequel series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is in full swing.
With all the source material milked, and a prelude already done, there isn’t much left to adapt when it comes to the Wizarding World – except for the stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years after the events of the original story, with the original Harry Potter characters now as adults.
The publication Puck writes: “According to two sources with knowledge of the deals, Warners has full adaptation rights for the seven Potter books, meaning Zaslav could simply order remakes of those movies.”
With this in mind, Warner Bros is admittedly a bit stuck for choices. Since arguably it is too soon for remakes as fans still have strong attachments to the original Harry Potter cast, A Cursed Child movie is the best option as it shows Harry’s children and introduces a new generation.
However, the issue is that Zaslav doesn’t have the rights to the play if the reported deal is true, and JK Rowling doesn’t seem to want it adapted in the first place. Reportedly the author isn’t interested in seeing a Cursed Child movie. However, her reasonings for this decision were not disclosed.
Her decision could have resulted from the recent financial failure of the Fantastic Beasts movies, which she had been directly creatively involved with. Moving onto Cursed Child so soon after Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore became the first Harry Potter movie to technically lose money could be seen as her admitting failure as a screenwriter.
The choice may also be due to the fact that The Cursed Child is still a wildly popular play, and there is an urge to keep it exclusively running on the West End. Well, whatever the reason, Harry Potter’s future is still uncertain.
Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, here is our list of the best fantasy movies of all time.