Is a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie happening?

Trudie Graham
The poster for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Rumors of a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie have swirled for years, but little has been discussed officially.

Cursed Child is a play set 19 years after the Deathly Hallows novel. At one time, shortly following the long-running success of the Harry Potter movies, it seemed a fair bet it would eventually be adapted into a film.

It had the potential to bring back the Harry Potter cast we know and love, and continue their heroic legacy with the help of their magic-wielding offspring.

However, the concept of turning it into new movies has been raised multiple times with no movement. So, let’s look at where things stand now.

Is a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie happening?

There’s no indication a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie is happening. Rumors have largely been attributed to fake fan-made trailers.

Viral fake trailers are responsible for much of the chatter, one of which you can enjoy (maybe?) below.

Warner Bros., nor any other studio or streaming service, has announced plans for a Cursed Child adaptation. There are a few reasons it will likely never happen.

The most compelling point is the Harry Potter TV show in development at Max. Warner Bros. has opted to reboot the franchise on the small screen, as opposed to continuing the legacy with new films.

Any claims a movie was in development were unconfirmed, though some reports spanning years claimed an adaptation was once floated.

According to Puck’s Matt Belloni, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy once planned to “go hard” on an adaptation that would essentially be marketed as ‘Harry Potter 9’.

However, there were allegedly issues persuading key actors to consider returning, due to author J.K. Rowling’s controversial involvement in the franchise following remarks about transgender people.

What is the Cursed Child about?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy growing up and their roles when dark powers, possibly aligned with Lord Voldemort, threaten the wizarding world.

Harry Potter and the Cursed child being performed at London Theatre,

Scorpius is Draco Malfoy’s son and Albus, as shown at the end of Deathly Hallows Part 2, is Harry’s son. The pair, unlike their fathers, are best friends in Cursed Child.

The story takes place 19 years after the events of the original Harry Potter books and movies, which were set during Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s Hogwarts years.

Without going into spoilers, dark forces loom over the story, and the boys are thrust into the centre of the mystery.

The Max series has no release date yet, but we’ve got fun in-depth reads on the Harry Potter houses, Horcruxes. We’ve also explained the best way to watch the Harry Potter movies and why did Voldemort kill Snape.