Wizarding Worldz
The Wizarding World appears to be ended, but the Next Harry Potter Movies is certain to continue – but what comes next? Here’s what might happen:
Following the failures of the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, the Wizarding World is undergoing tremendous changes, but what is next for the Harry Potter franchise? J.K. Rowling’s debut film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone introduced readers to the Wizarding World in 1997.
The first book in a seven-book series. The story of “The Boy Who Lived” and his goal to stop Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all, became a global phenomenon, paving the way for a media franchise that began with the Harry Potter saga being turned into a series of eight films (with the final novel being split into two movies).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was published in 2011, but the Wizarding World continues to develop with computer games, a stage production, and even a theme park.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was followed by two sequels, transported audiences back to the Wizarding World in 2016. Unfortunately, the Fantastic Beasts trilogy was unable to equal the success and popularity of the Harry Potter film series, and it appears that the Wizarding World has come to an end.
Warner Bros. is allegedly interested in producing additional Harry Potter content, so what’s ahead for the Harry Potter franchise, and what will happen with the Fantastic Beasts branch?
The Wizarding World Franchise Appears to Be Dead
During the company’s earnings call, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, stated that they are interested in creating “something with J.K. Rowling on Harry Potter going forward,” noting that they “haven’t done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years.”
Zaslav’s statement surprised me since it suggests that Warner does not consider the Fantastic Beasts trilogy a success and implies that there is no longer a future for it, but it also means that the Wizarding World may be over. Zaslav is no longer referring to the franchise as the Wizarding World, implying that it is no longer alive – or that the name is.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the Wizarding World underwent a makeover (as did Pottermore, which is now called Wizarding World) and Warner decided to focus more on Harry Potter-related content.
Despite being situated in the same universe, the Fantastic Beasts films are set many, many years before the events of the Harry Potter story, thus while they feature many characters from that film series, the title wizard does not appear.
Warner appears to be more interested in work that contains Harry Potter, which opens up some exciting possibilities but also casts doubt on other projects.
Will Fantastic Beasts 4 ever be released?
The fourth Fantastic Beasts film is one of those projects from the Wizarding World with an uncertain future. Back in 2016, Rowling revealed that Fantastic Beasts would be a five-film series addressing events in Wizarding History that occurred between 1926 and 1945, such as the start of the First Wizarding War and the duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
However, the Fantastic Beasts films failed to connect with the audience for a variety of reasons, and when compared to the Harry Potter films, they were a colossal flop.
Fantastic Monsters was intended to follow Newt Scamander and the titular beasts, but it swiftly shifted to the battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, giving the trilogy an uneven tone and story.
The Fantastic Beasts films were also overshadowed by several scandals involving some of its prominent performers as well as Rowling herself, and they rank towards the bottom of the box office, with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Given all of this, it’s no surprise that Warner has decided to abandon the Fantastic Beasts franchise, putting an end to any sequel ambitions.
Although Fantastic Beasts 4 has not been formally canceled, it is also not in the works. Variety said that there are now no projects in active production from the Wizarding World, including both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, thus Fantastic Beasts 4 is unlikely to happen – and may not happen at all if Warner continues to focus on Harry Potter content.
Is a film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the works?
While Warner’s desire for additional Harry Potter content means that Fantastic Beasts will be sidelined, it also means that other projects involving “The Boy Who Lived” can finally get underway. A film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play created by Jack Thorne based on a narrative by Rowling, Thorne, and John Tiffany, is among them.
Cursed Child is a continuation of the Harry Potter book series, taking place 19 years after the events of Deathly Hallows, and follows Harry’s son, Albus Severus Potter, during his time at Hogwarts. There, Albus gets into major difficulty after tampering with a Time-Turner, and Harry is the Head of the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Cursed Child would be the obvious next step if Warner wants to make another Harry Potter film, and it’s already apparently among Warner’s intentions for the Harry Potter series expansion.
However, this does not necessarily imply that Cursed Child as written would make a good movie, and if it does make the leap to the big screen, it will have to undergo significant changes, as the story has been criticized for recycling storylines, breaking Harry Potter canon, and having a fan-fiction feel.
Will There Be More Harry Potter Films?
Despite the fact that there are no more Harry Potter books after Deathly Hallows, there are certain stories that may be translated into films to continue the great saga. The film centered on Harry’s position as an Auror, as he was recruited by Kingsley Shacklebot and became an Auror, which is a wizard who acts as a highly trained law enforcement official for the magical government, is one of the better alternatives.
Now that Voldemort has been defeated, it will be interesting to see what Harry’s career as an Auror will be like. Of course, there are other stories set before the time of Harry Potter that would be intriguing to investigate.
However, Warner appears to be focused on programming that features the famed young wizard. If Cursed Child fails to materialize, Warner may go for an alternative continuation of Harry’s life after Deathly Hallows.
Will any of the original Harry Potter cast members ever return?
The actors may be the most difficult barrier to filming further Harry Potter films. The primary cast of the Harry Potter tale has progressed and has finally shed their characters and the labels that came with them.
It’s understandable that they’re hesitant to return to the Wizarding World so soon. Daniel Radcliffe has stated that he is ready to resume his role as Harry Potter but is not interested in doing so for the time being.
whereas Tom Felton joked that if they exchanged positions and Felton became the hero, he would work with Radcliffe again. However, Warner would very certainly have to recast the primary characters of the Harry Potter saga, which would be a very hazardous move.
Will HBO Max Feature Harry Potter TV Shows?
Another way for the Harry Potter franchise to grow is through TV programs on HBO Max. It was claimed in January 2021 that a Harry Potter TV series was in the works, but there have been no further developments.
The announcement of Harry Potter TV shows offered fans hope for a prequel TV series centered on The Marauders, however, this does not match Warner Bros.’ new ambitions for the property. At the time of writing, it is uncertain whether Warner’s plans involve the HBO Max TV series, and if so, whether these would be a continuation of Harry Potter’s saga or would explore other storylines connected to the young wizard.