Chris Columbus, who helmed the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philospher’s Stone, would like to revive the franchise with the original stars– Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. The auteur would like to film a big-screen adaptation of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Columbus stated:
“I would love to direct ‘The Cursed Child.’ It’s a great play and the kids are actually the right age to play those roles. It’s a small fantasy of mine.”
The Cursed Child is actually two plays, with viewers having to show up to the theater twice to see the whole story. It is set 19 years after the final Harry Potter book/movie, The Deathly Hallows, and focuses on the sons of Harry and Ginny (Albus Severus Potter) and Draco Malfoy (Scorpius), who are now beginning their studies at Hogwart’s. Original author, J.K. Rowling, helped develop the story along with John Tiffany and Jack Thorne.
The show initially opened in London’s West End and was nominated for a record-breaking 11 Laurence Olivier Awards and won another record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play. he following year, it opened on Broadway and won six awards including Best Play. Its Broadway run also broke records for the highest all-time weekly ticket sales of any play.
Live theater has been shut down and struggling since COVID-19 hit, but plans are to reopen The Cursed Child on Broadway, San Francisco, and Toronto. It is currently running in London, Melbourne, and Tokyo.
Unfortunately, despite these accolades and the play’s financial success, The Cursed Child has been somewhat poorly received by many critics and audiences.
In the films, Warner Bros. has attempted to continue the Wizarding World franchise with the Fantastic Beasts films, but those are prequels set decades before the births of Harry and his friends. For that reason, and many more, the Fantastic Beasts films have failed to recapture the magic (pun INTENDED) of the Harry Potter flicks.
Do you think a film version of The Cursed Child would work? Is Chris Columbus the right director to adapt it?
