Harry Potter director wants to adapt ‘Cursed Child’ with original cast members
Former Harry Potter director Chris Columbus has expressed his interest in reuniting the original cast members of the beloved film series should a film adaptation of The Cursed Child pushes through.
In an interview with Variety, Columbus said that he would love to work on a movie adaptation of the 2016 play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with original cast members Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley).
"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," Columbus said. "It’s a small fantasy of mine."
The play, which is written by Jack Thorne along with author J.K. Rowling and John Tifanny, is set 19 years after the events of 2007's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Columbus helmed the first two Harry Potter films - 2001's The Sorcerer's Stone and 2002's The Chamber of Secrets - and also served as a producer on the third film installment, Prisoner of Azkaban. David Yates later took over the director’s chair and shepherded the production of the final four movies.
Prior to Columbus' statement, Radcliffe revealed last July that there are currently no plans for a Harry Potter cast reunion.
"I'm in the Dominican Republic at the moment filming and then I'm going to be busy, kind of working on bits and pieces until the end of the year," Radcliffe told Entertainment Weekly. "So yeah, I don't know. I'm sure there will be some sort of celebration but I don't know if we will be getting together or anything. I'm sorry if that's a bit of a disappointment to anyone."
Meanwhile, Tom Felton, who played Harry's arch-nemesis Draco Malfoy in the original film series, recently reunited with some of his fellow Harry Potter cast members ahead of the Sorcerer's Stone's 20th anniversary.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, Felton shared a photo of himself with fellow actors Grint, Bonnie Wright, and James Phelps, fueling the rumor mill of a possible cast reunion.
"[S]ecretly, draco always wanted to be a redhead," Felton wrote, with Wright (Ginny Weasley) replying, "Lol. There's still time." Phelps, known for playing the role of Fred Weasley, also commented: "Same!"
Although Felton didn't mention the reason behind the photo, some fans believe that the Harry Potter alums' mini reunion has something to do with the franchise.
This is mainly because prior to Felton's post, Wright shared in an Instagram story last week that she just "filmed something very exciting" that made her "very emotional." Wright also added a lightning bolt emoji in the text, hinting that the project may be connected to the franchise's 20th anniversary.
Although there's no official announcement yet on the possible adaptation of The Cursed Child, a Harry Potter live-action TV series has been reported to be in early development at HBO Max.
However, after headlines of a Potterverse-themed TV series circulated on the Internet, HBO Max and Warner Bros. were quick to release a joint statement denying that a live-action TV series based on the beloved franchise is in the works.
As of now, Yates is currently working on the third film installment in the Harry Potter prequel series Fantastic Beasts. The upcoming tentpole from Warner Bros., titled Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, will premiere in theaters on April 15, 2022—three months early than its initial July 2022 release date.
