With the Fantastic Beasts franchise proving to be both a commercial and critical disappointment, it's become clear that expanding the Wizarding World is easier said than done.
Recently, we've heard that the original Harry Potter cast is seemingly unwilling to return for an adaptation of The Cursed Child, meaning the franchise's future is very much in doubt. Warner Bros. executives have claimed something is in the works, but could that be a full-blown reboot of the seven movies based on J.K. Rowling's beloved novels?
According to a new rumour, shared by our friends at Screen Geek (via SFFGazette.com), there are indeed plans for the Harry Potter franchise to be rebooted for the big screen.
It sounds like the idea being discussed would involve recasting the core characters and putting a fresh spin on the story that begins with The Philosopher's (or Sorcerer's) Stone and ends with The Deathly Hallows. Whatever this project may or may not be, it's reportedly in the very early stages of development, so who knows what it will end up looking like.
It's been over a decade since the final Harry Potter movie was released, so now wouldn't be the worst time to start over and tell those stories to a new generation of fans. However, when the movies remain so beloved - and such faithful adaptations of the books - what more is there to do?
This reboot sounds like it's a good 3-5 years away from happening, anyway, and it's even insinuated that the books might be adapted in a new way (they could be animated or told from the point of view of another character, for example).
While the DC brand is set to receive an overhaul courtesy of the James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DC Studios, it's hardly a surprise that Warner Bros. is looking for a way to make its biggest franchise profitable again by revisiting Harry Potter. Those movies made a huge amount of money for them, and we're sure they'd do so again if handled well.
We'll see what happens with this one, but it's probably best to take these claims with a pinch of salt for now. A TV series adaptation of the Harry Potter books would be a great way to revive the franchise, but with Warner Bros. prioritising theatrical releases over streaming, we're not going to hold out much hope on that front.
Do you think a reboot is the right way to go with this magical movie franchise?