According to Chris Columbus, a movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would be “impossible” to make – and the reason has nothing to do with the play.
Ever since Cursed Child premiered in London in 2016, it’s been speculated (and hoped) that it’d be turned into a film, especially as it could hypothetically star Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and several others from the original cast.
JK Rowling denied that it would become a feature film, even though Warner Bros filed for a trademark (which would include motion pictures), and in 2021, Columbus even expressed interest in directing it. In 2022, following HBO Max’s reunion special, Radcliffe said he wasn’t interested in reprising his role “right now… I’m never going to say never.”
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A lot has changed over the past three years, and Columbus believes Rowling’s relationships with the cast could be an insurmountable obstacle.
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie won’t happen, Chris Columbus says
Harry Potter Theatrical Productions
Speaking to The Times in an interview for The Thursday Murder Club, Columbus (who directed Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets) discussed the prospect of a Cursed Child movie.
“It’s never going to happen. It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff,” he said.
Rowling has been criticized in recent years for her views on transgender people, to the point that Radcliffe issued a statement via The Trevor Project, a suicide-prevention non-profit for the LGBTQ+ community.
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“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I,” he wrote.
Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have all spoken in support of the trans community, and Rowling later suggested they were among “celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors.”
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Rowling’s involvement in HBO’s Harry Potter TV show as an executive producer has also raised concerns among some fans, with stars in the new series (such as Nick Frost) addressing it in interviews.
“Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible,” Columbus continued.
“I haven’t spoken to Miss Rowling in a decade or so, so I have no idea what’s going on with her, but I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago. I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast.”
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In the meantime, read more about the rumors of Cillian Murphy playing Voldemort and the new show’s connection to the Harry Potter movies.
