Chris Columbus, the director behind the first two Harry Potter films, has shot down rumors about a potential “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” movie.
Speaking with The Times, the filmmaker said any return to the Wizarding World is “never going to happen,” citing the complications tied to J.K. Rowling’s politics and the original cast’s differing stances on her views regarding the trans community.
“It’s gotten so complicated with all the politics,” Columbus said. “Everyone has their own perspective, which doesn’t align with hers, and that makes it impossible.”
Though he hasn’t spoken to Rowling in over a decade, Columbus noted he remains close with Daniel Radcliffe and still in contact with much of the original cast—suggesting he has a good sense of where they stand.
‘The Cursed Child,’ a stage play set two decades after ‘Deathly Hallows,’ follows Harry’s son, Albus Severus, as he navigates his time at Hogwarts after being placed in Slytherin. Columbus once flirted with the idea of adapting it for the screen with the original trio, but that possibility is now officially off the table.
The director also made clear, in another interview, that he does not share Rowling’s views, calling them “very sad” and acknowledging the difficulty of separating the artist from the work.
In recent years, Rowling’s outspoken stance on trans issues has generated heated debate—so much so that, for some fans online, she’s become a villain rivaling Voldemort himself.
In a way, Rowling preventing another ‘Harry Potter’ movie from happening is a blessing. No reason to further milk that cash cow. Then again, HBO is about to spend $200M a season on a ‘Potter’ TV reboot. You win some, you lose some.