A new rumor suggests that the Harry Potter film franchise could undergo a full-blown reboot.
According to Valliant Renegade and WDW Pro, Warner Bros. Discovery is seriously considering rebooting the Harry Potter franchise, which would involve the recasting of the franchise's iconic characters. While not a "done deal" at this stage, the alleged reboot would supposedly be a new adaptation of the first seven Harry Potter novels. "You're looking at that original cast: Harry, Hermione, Ron. New cast. Starting over."
While it's unclear if a reboot of the original seven novels will happen soon, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly wants to adapt Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as a sequel set after the events of the Deathly Hallows films. "We haven't done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and the Harry Potter movies provided a lot of the profits of Warner Bros. Motion Pictures over the last 25 years," Zaslav said.
During Warner Bros. Discovery's Q3 earnings call, Zaslav stated he would also be willing to collaborate with controversial author J.K. Rowling for more Harry Potter content in the future. However, several actors from the Wizarding World franchise, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, have stopped associating with the author following Rowling's anti-trans sentiments. Furthermore, video game developer Avalanche Studio denied her involvement in the creative process of the upcoming title Hogwarts Legacy.
What's Next for the Harry Potter Franchise?
Despite possibly continuing the OG franchise, Warner Bros. is not currently developing any additional films in the Fantastic Beasts prequel series. Fantastic Beasts was initially planned as a five-film series. However, the studio was reportedly debating giving films four and five the green light based on The Secrets of Dumbledore's box office performance. Released in April 2022, the third installment became the lowest-grossing film of the entire Wizarding World franchise.
Even Eddie Redmayne, who plays protagonist Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films, is uncertain about the series' future. When asked if he had any information about Fantastic Beasts 4, the Les Misérables actor didn't have an answer. "It's more a question for J.K. Rowling and [director] David Yates and Warners, but I don't know, I'm afraid. I can't add to that. I love playing Newt, he's a sweet man," he said.
Source: YouTube