The moment that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was even announced as existing, it was one of those projects that almost instantly conjured the demand for a film adaptation. Always a hot topic of discussion with the legacy cast, it’s always felt so close and yet so far from happening, especially in the age where the slightest rumor of an HBO Max project can lead to huge hypotheticals. With Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint recently addressing the subject yet again, there are some fresh thoughts on whether the eighth Potter story could be adapted with the original cast.
Would Daniel Radcliffe Return For A Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Movie?
In preparation for the release of The Lost City, Daniel Radcliffe spoke with The New York Times. Naturally, the subject of the play that debuted on London’s West End in 2016 had to come up, thanks to original franchise director Chris Columbus stating he’d love to direct a version with the original cast. Radcliffe, knowing the hype surrounding any potential Harry Potter and the Cursed Child film adaptation, gave this honest and truthful answer about potentially playing Harry Potter once more:
This isn't the answer that anybody's going to want, but I think I was so able to go back and enjoy it because it's not a part of my day-to-day life anymore. I'm getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter okay and I'm really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life. I'm never going to say never, but the Star Wars guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it's only been 10. It's not something I'm really interested in doing right now.
On one hand, it’s good to know that even after enduring the pressures of helping define the Harry Potter cinematic legacy, Daniel Radcliffe can look back on the whole enterprise with fondness. You could especially feel that in the most memorable moments from the HBO Max special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. That being said, fondness doesn’t always equate to jumping back onto the broom at a moment’s notice.
Like any good actor who’s connected to a franchise as huge as Harry Potter, Radcliffe has kept his options open. Parroting the same line of wisdom that sprouted from Sean Connery saying he’d “never” play James Bond again, only to return to the role twice, The Lost City actor has invoked the “never say never” clause. Which is funny, as he’s not the only Potter cast member to do so in recent years.
How Rupert Grint And Tom Felton Feel About Returning For A Cursed Child Movie
If you’re going to embark on a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child adaptation, you pretty much need the entire core cast of the first eight films back. At the very least, you’d need Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Tom Felton, so as to keep the key players in line. Luckily enough, the media knows this fact just as well as Wizarding World loyalists, and it’s led to some fun comments like the following statement Rupert Grint previously gave ET:
I saw it in London a few years ago. It's incredible! It's quite a strange, out-of-body experience to see. I mean, never say never! It's a great story. It's kind of a genius extension of those characters. But I don't know. I haven't really thought about that.
Never saying never looks like it’s almost the official line of the Harry Potter legacy cast. However, that isn’t exactly true, as there’s another cast member that isn’t afraid of that word, or statements adjacent to its meaning. During an appearance on Red Carpet News TV, Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton joked a bit about the prospect of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child becoming a cinematic experience. Kidding aside, his thoughts on returning to his role differed from his co-stars thusly:
How much you offering? I’m joking. I don’t think it will be reprised, to be honest with you. I think it was a wonderful eight chapters, and everything that needed to be done was done.
To reject returning to the role is one thing, but to think that there doesn’t need to be a Cursed Child movie at all is another subject altogether. Though Felton had fun taking part in Return to Hogwarts, it doesn’t sound like he’s all that anxious to live out Draco’s older years. Then again, he never said never, which technically puts him in the same boat as Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.
While we don’t know when or if Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will ever become a major motion picture, fans of the Wizarding World can still see it play out on the live stage. As for the cinematic future of J.K. Rowling’s franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will continue to expand that lore on April 15th. For more details on 2022 movie releases, head over to our full rundown of the movies waiting to debut at a theater near you in the coming year.
