This article was originally published on January 22, 2020. It was updated on January 15th 2021 by Ashley Wehrli.
We recently reported that a new Harry Potter film might be making its way to production, sooner than everyone had anticipated. Of course, this had Harry Potter fans working themselves into an excited frenzy at the news they had all been waiting to hear. It has been almost ten years, since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 hit the movie screens. Although the Fantastic Beasts series has been excellent at filling the Harry Potter void in eager fans' hearts, it appeared that there's a new film centered around the offspring of the original and much-loved characters. This is what people are holding out for; what we know about the film is that it would be based on the smash hit Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Play.
When it comes to what we can expect from this new installment, the answer is not too much. Taking a look at the available sources, it appears that every source who wrote about the new movie linked back to an article posted by We Got This Covered. On further investigation, any mention of a new film linked back to the very same article, with no different source material available to either confirm nor deny the news.
What Has J.K. Rowling Said?
In September of 2019, J.K. Rowling sent Twitter into a meltdown by posting a cryptic tweet in relation to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This looked to be the starting point for the rumors of a film. With no other caption, there was no further elaboration as to what the tweet actually meant. Strangely quiet on Twitter as of late, J.K. Rowling still hasn't confirmed nor denied whether this was a tease that a film was on its way. However, it had been announced that, despite the hype, J.K. Rowling had refuted any claims about a new film in the works, which the tweet might of falsely created. While there were whispers, many believed it was simply to celebrate a new logo for The Cursed Child production.
On the other hand, looking at the evidence, We Got This Covered has made some major predictions before, that have all been correct. They reported that a new Ace Ventura film was in the works; a claim that has since gathered speed and is looking very likely to come to fruition. They have also made other predictions about films such as the Aladdin reboot, which has been correct. They continuously state that their sources are highly trusted.
Daniel Radcliffe's Thoughts
As far as we can gather from our research, none of the original stars of the Harry Potter films, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have made any formal statements, nor made any social media teases, related to news of a new film. Interestingly, however, Daniel Radcliffe told Cheatsheet that he is sure that a Harry Potter reboot will be inevitable. He said: “I’m sure there will be some other version of it; I know I’m not the last Harry Potter I’m gonna see in my lifetime. It will be interesting to see how long those films stay — it feels like there’s a sacredness around them at the moment, but that’ll go, the shine will wear off at some point.” With the current trend for reboots at the moment (The Little Mermaid, Little Women, Dumbo, IT), to name a few, it looks like a reboot will largely be inevitable at some point.
Without a formal statement from anyone directly involved, it is impossible to speculate whether a new film is currently in the works. There are, however, track records to consider. There is the track record of the original reporter of the story and how their sources have come up trumps on information in the past. There is also the track record that absolutely anything that has to do with Harry Potter has always turned into a film. It's a money-making powerhouse, so there seems to be huge amounts of inevitability that The Cursed Child will be turned into a film at some point, even if it isn't in the very near future. If it doesn't happen, then there is always Daniel Radcliffe's thoughts on a reboot to consider. That will give Harry Potter fans something to look forward to.
UPDATE: What We Now Know About A New Film
Now that some time has gone on, there still may not be many updates about the rumor of this new film, but there has been more speculation on when it will be happening, if it does. The franchise is currently in the middle of production on their 5-movie prequel series, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. According to Express, these films won’t be completed until (at least) the middle of the 2020’s. This means that we would not see a film for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child until at least 2030.
While that seems like just too long to wait, it would put the original cast at the right age to reprise their original roles, if they should be interested. Ultimately, the decision is going to come down to J.K. Rowling and where she wants this film to go.
Sources: Express, Cheat Sheet, We Got This Covered, Twitter via @jk_rowling