Daniel-Radcliffe-Imperium

RUMOR ALERT: Take this information with a grain of salt, as it is just RUMOR at this point.

Sure, Warner Brothers is revisiting J.K. Rowling‘s Wizarding World in this winter’s ‘Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them’ which is expected to be the first of at least a trilogy.  But the latest buzz is that the studio wants an actual new ‘Harry Potter’ movie with star Daniel Radcliffe back in the title role.

Well, of course they do.  The ‘Potter’ films are one of the most popular and highest-grossing movie series of all time!  And while, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ looks to capture the same charming energy of the ‘Potter’ movies, it is set roughly 100 years before them, so it’s not really a direct prequel.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child bookAnd while there are no more novels to adapt, there is a source out there: the stage production ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ currently playing in London.  The script for ‘Cursed Child’ sold 4 million copies in its first week, the fastest selling book in a decade.  It also looks to become the bestselling script of all time.  This all proves that the ‘Potter’ fans of the world are still ravenous for additional material, although Rowling has declared that she is done with Harry and his pals and wishes to focus on other aspects of her mythology.

‘Cursed Child’ takes place 19 years after ‘The Deathly Hallows’ and focuses on the struggles of an adult Harry, now the overworked Head of Magical Law Enforcement.  The play also focuses on his youngest son, Albus, who struggles with his family’s legacy.  Harry is married to Ginny and Ron and Hermione also play large roles.

Considering the thirst for more ‘Potter’ stories is clearly evident from the reaction to the book, and the fact that only a small percentage will ever get to travel to London to see the stage version, making a movie would not only make Warner Brothers a mint, but would actually be a great service to fans.

It makes perfect sense all around and could help mitigate the fact that WB is still struggling with their under-performing DC Comics movies which were expected to take ‘Potter”s place as the studio’s flagship franchise.

As for Radcliffe, I’m sure if they threw enough money at him, he wouldn’t be able to say no.  True, he has distanced himself from Harry, appearing fully nude in the Broadway play ‘Equus’ and tackling more adult fare like ‘The Woman In Black’, ‘Kill Your Darlings’, ‘Horns’ and the recent white supremacist drama ‘Imperium’.  But he has shown interest in more commercial movies lately, starring in ‘Now You See Me 2’ and ‘Victor Frankenstein’, both of which, unfortunately, bombed.

BUT this is all rumor as of now.  But if I was a Warner Brothers executive, I’d already have this in pre-production.

Do you want to see ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ adapted for the silver screen?

Source: NY Daily News