The Wizarding World keeps expanding, but after the failure of the Fantastic Beasts branch, its best option is to move forward with the highly-awaited film version of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child rather than make Fantastic Beasts 4. Although the Harry Potter movie saga came to an end in 2011 with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the Wizarding World has found ways to expand not only the story of Harry Potter and company but also that of the Wizarding World.
The Harry Potter universe has continued its expansion with supplementary works and in-universe guides, video games, and theme parks, but its most famous (and controversial) branch has been the Fantastic Beasts movie series. Based on the Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them guidebook, the first movie was released in 2016 and introduced Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander, and followed him on an adventure in which he enlisted Muggle Jacob’s (Dan Fogler) help to round up some escaped magical creatures while a mysterious dark force terrorized New York City as Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) rose to power. The success of Fantastic Beasts made way for a sequel and plans for a trilogy and beyond, but those plans have now changed after the release of the third movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Although the core of the Fantastic Beasts series was supposed to be Newt and the many magical creatures he comes across, the movies shifted focus to the conflict and backstory between young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (now played by Mads Mikkelsen), which peaked in Fantastic Beasts 3. Unfortunately, this movie wasn’t the success the studio surely expected and has become the lowest-grossing movie in the Wizarding World franchise, putting a big question mark over its potential sequels. However, that doesn’t mean the Wizarding World has reached its end, as there’s another story that could revive the franchise better than Fantastic Beasts 4: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.
Fantastic Beasts 4 Seems Unlikely To Happen Now
The Harry Potter movie series wrapped up the stories of Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Lord Voldemort, but there are still many other stories from the Wizarding World to tell, especially those that happened years before “The Boy Who Lived” was born. Fantastic Beasts saw that chance and took it, exploring the rise of Gellert Grindelwald, his dangerous plans of Wizarding supremacy and domination, and his complex relationship with Albus Dumbledore. While this could have been an interesting part of Wizarding World history to see on the big screen, the Fantastic Beasts movie series was affected by the change of tone between movies, the many underdeveloped subplots, constant retcons to Harry Potter canon, and a variety of behind-the-scenes controversies.
Although Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was pointed out by many critics as an improvement over its predecessor, it wasn’t enough to save it from failure, and as mentioned above, it now holds the spot of the lowest-grossing movie in the Wizarding World franchise. In April 2022, it was reported (via Variety) that the future of Fantastic Beasts 4 and 5 depended on the critical and commercial performance of The Secrets of Dumbledore, but with mixed reviews and a disappointing box office performance, Fantastic Beasts 4 is now unlikely to happen, as there doesn’t seem to be a big demand for this side of the Wizarding World.
A Cursed Child Movie Would Be A Far Bigger Event Than Fantastic Beasts 4
The end of the Fantastic Beasts movie series doesn’t mean the end of the Wizarding World on the big screen, as there’s the rumored and highly-anticipated film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Written by Jack Thorne based on a story by Rowling, Thorne, and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a two-part play set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Instead of focusing on an adult Harry Potter - who is now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic –, The Cursed Child focuses on his younger son, Albus Severus Potter, during his time at Hogwarts. Albus gets into trouble after messing with a time-turner, unveiling some dangerous secrets in the process while also bringing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco Malfoy together one more time.
Given its direct connection to the Harry Potter saga and the involvement of the Golden Trio, even if not as protagonists, are enough reasons for The Cursed Child to be a far bigger and more exciting event than Fantastic Beasts 4. Seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco together again while following the adventures of the youngest Potter and Malfoy’s son, Scorpius, is not only exciting and effective as it’s using nostalgia to the Wizarding World’s favor but it’s also a proper way of expanding the story of Harry Potter and company, which after the failure of Fantastic Beasts, is something that the franchise needs to recover and keep going.
Why A Cursed Child Movie Is Better Than Fantastic Beasts 4
The Fantastic Beasts movie series could have been an interesting and exciting way of exploring other sides of the history of the Wizarding World, but the uneven tone of the movies and many other problems ended up creating a messy trilogy that ultimately lost the interest of the audience. The best option for the Wizarding World to recover and continue would be to go back to its roots and reunite with Harry Potter and company but without having to make them the focus again – hence why The Cursed Child is one of its best options. Surely, The Cursed Child has been met with a lot of criticism due to the changes it made to Harry Potter canon, but a movie adaptation could fix those mistakes so it can fit with the rest of the Harry Potter saga, thus saving the film branch of the Wizarding World and improving the story of The Cursed Child – and, of course, the opportunity of bringing back the original cast is a big hook for the audience, making The Cursed Child more likely to connect with the audience than Fantastic Beasts 4.
Will Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie Actually Happen?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child might be the best option Warner Bros. has right now to keep the Wizarding World moving, but that doesn’t mean it’s close to happening. Rumors about a movie adaptation of The Cursed Child began in late 2021 when Chris Columbus (director of the first two movies in the Harry Potter saga) expressed interest in directing an adaptation of the play, with the intent of having the original Harry Potter cast reprising their roles. Unfortunately, the cast doesn’t seem to be that interested in returning to the Wizarding World anytime soon, with Daniel Radcliffe sharing he doesn’t intend to jump back into the Harry Potter role yet, and Tom Felton doesn’t seem interested either, even joking about only working with Radcliffe again if they switch roles.
However, nothing is set in stone, and even though right now there are no official plans to bring The Cursed Child to the big screen, the underperformance of the Fantastic Beasts trilogy could lead Warner Bros. to properly develop a movie adaptation of the play, while Radcliffe and Felton could change their minds if the project is interesting enough. There’s still hope for the Wizarding World to continue its course on the big screen after the failure of Fantastic Beasts, and while there are other Potter-related stories Warner Bros. could explore, its safest bet right now would be adapting an event like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.