Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth chapter in the Harry Potter franchise, but unlike the movies so far, an adaptation of Cursed Child would have to change things significantly to avoid destroying the series' continuity and reputation. While some enjoy JK Rowling and Jack Thorne's stage play continuation of the Potter saga, the show's plot has been met with heavy criticism from critics and viewers alike. Plot, characters, and reliance on existing material in the universe instead of creating something fresh are often highlighted as reasons why Cursed Child feels more like "fan fiction" than a continuation of the beloved Harry Potter franchise. As such, a film adaptation of Cursed Child would need to change more than just a few lines of dialogue to be successful.
Set initially during the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Cursed Child focuses on Harry's son, Albus Severus Potter. The play sees Albus unable to escape his father's shadow, particularly after Hogwarts' sorting hat sorts him into Slytherin, instead of Gryffindor like everyone expects. This also leads him to become best friends with Scorpius Malfoy, son of Harry's former arch-nemesis Draco Malfoy, distancing himself from Rose Granger-Weasley, the daughter of Harry's best friends (and in-laws) Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Spanning years, the play shows Albus and Harry's relationship degrade, to the point where Harry angrily declares he wishes Albus was not his son. The plot starts to ramp up as Albus overhears Harry talking to an old Amos Diggory, who begs Harry, in his new role as Head of Magical Law Enforcement, to use a prototype time turner which allows one to change history to stop his son Cedric from being killed by Peter Pettigrew during the Triwizard Tournament. When Harry refuses, Albus and Scorpius team up with Cedric's apparent cousin, Delphi, to change history themselves.
The subsequent adventure has serious ramifications for the rest of the Harry Potter franchise and story. One attempt, for instance, sees Ron and Hermione never marry, with the latter becoming a mean, frustrated Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Another accidentally creates a timeline where Cedric becomes a death eater, Harry is killed, and Voldemort wins the Battle of Hogwarts. However, while these alternative scenarios are interesting on the surface, they actually present some major problems for the Harry Potter continuity. A major criticism of The Cursed Child remains the lack of a substantive explanation for these plot holes in the play itself, meaning that any movie version still has major issues to contend with. As such, the prospect of a Cursed Child movie is far from straightforward.
Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Causes Major Canon Problems
Focusing on a Wizarding World time travel story that intersects with the events of the movies, Cursed Child creates some major plot holes. In particular, it throws the former books and movies' rules about time travel out of the window. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and Hermione directly influence their own actions in the past, making a time loop and showing that whatever happens, happened. Cursed Child introduces new time travel rules through the MacGuffin of the new time turner, allowing the past to be changed and new timelines to develop. Additionally, the show also makes small errors such as almost entirely omitting Harry's other children, James and Lily, as well as completely ignoring Ron and Hermione's other child, Hugo.
However, these are only minor points compared to the existence of Delphi. Voldemort and Bellatrix's daughter is a major canon breaker, as her existence means that Bellatrix was actually pregnant at some point during the books and films. While her exact birth date is never explained, she is said to have been born in secret at Malfoy Manor, home of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, in the mid-late 1990s. Basically, between Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows. This presents a major problem as unlike the first few Wizarding World movies, Bellatrix is extremely prominent in these films. She is seen in each movie after Order of the Phoenix and is never shown to be pregnant, nor is her pregnancy mentioned. Furthermore, Tom Riddle (Voldemort) never showed any interest in fathering an heir and is consistently said to be incapable of love, so the suggestion that he willingly fathered Delphi with Bellatrix seems nonsensical.
The Cursed Child Hurts Some Harry Potter Characters
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not overly kind to its original characters, particularly the core trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry is presented as incredibly controlling, rather than the fiery but kind-hearted hero he is shown to be from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Deathly Hallows. Saying he wishes Albus wasn't his son, even in the heat of the moment, is completely out of character for the boy who lived. Ron unfortunately becomes a victim of Warner Bros. Harry Potter film series' success. As Rupert Grint's take on the character emphasized his funnier traits, Thorne and Rowling clearly ran with this and made him a complete joke in Cursed Child. Ron lacks any of the bravery that made his book counterpart so great and does questionable things such as giving his nephew, Albus, a love potion. Ron's wife Hermione Granger also suffers, particularly in the timeline that suggests that her future would see her become a horrible, miserable witch if she had never met Ron, which does the feminist aspect of her character a great disservice.
However, it is not just the main characters that suffer. Cedric Diggory is surprisingly crucial to the plot of Cursed Child, particularly as Albus and Scorpius' plot to humiliate him to save his life during the Triwizard Tournament leads him to become a death eater. Robert Pattinson's lovable Hufflepuff Cedric seems like the last person who would turn to Voldemort's side, as he was beloved by all for his genuine kindness, bravery, and warmth. Knowing that he had the potential to join the likes of his killer, Peter Pettigrew, Fenrir Greyback, and Lord Voldemort himself severely diminishes his character upon re-watches of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Additionally, Voldemort's character makes little sense due to the Delphi issue, while the very minor character of the trolley witch is bizarrely transformed into a hulking monster, far different to her kindly appearance in Philosopher's Stone.
Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie Can Fix Some Story Problems (But Not All)
The poor characterization of Harry and Ron is a reasonably easy fix, as dialogue can be altered to make them more in line with their book and film counterparts. Hugo, James, and Lily could also be introduced into the story without changing much, and the Trolley Witch could be removed easily. However, Ron's love potion is a major part of the story, as it reveals that Albus and Scorpius need help in the past during act 4. Additionally, Hermione's misrepresentation is fundamental to this version of the story, so the entire second time turner section, where Ron and Hermione never married, would have to be significantly changed or removed. Cedric's turn to the dark side would also mean that the script would have to be altered considerably if his character were to be redeemed. Similarly, the inclusion of Delphi fundamentally changes Voldemort so, again, without a severe redraft, Tom Riddle's legacy would still be marred with plot holes.
The arguably bigger issues of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would need a completely different story to be fixed. As the time travel, time turner, and Cedric Diggory's death are so fundamental to this story, the new script would have to completely redefine the story to fix these issues: and at that point, it would no longer be the same Cursed Child. The elements of the film criticized as "fan fiction" such as a heavy use of former characters including Potion's Master Severus Snape and Cedric Diggory are excusable onstage, as they are a means to present magical stage effects. Story is less important. Yet, if Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and company did return, these major plot failures would be less forgivable. It is also important to consider that JK Rowling is the primary writer for the Fantastic Beasts series and Warner Bros would likely have to bring her onboard for a hypothetical eighth Harry Potter movie. As she wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, many of these issues could well remain in the film adaptation.
Will A Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie Ever Happen?
It seems unlikely that a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie is on the horizon. Though there have been rumors circulating that Warner Bros is seeking to produce the project, cast members like Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe would say otherwise, as the actor has made clear that 10 years away from the franchise is not long enough for him, yet. However, other cast members like Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton have been more positive about returning to the Wizarding World. Yet, even Rowling herself has yet to confirm that the project is in development and without the full original cast signed on, re-casting iconic characters like Harry Potter himself could alienate audience members.
Additionally, The Fantastic Beasts spin-off franchise has underperformed critically and commercially, meaning Warner Bros may be more cautious about a future Wizarding World project. Furthermore, the controversy surrounding creator JK Rowling's views of transgender people also makes the movie's release less likely, particularly as Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint, among others involved in the series, have spoken out against the author. Though a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie adaptation looks unlikely, there's still an outside chance. However, the magical series will have to seriously change its script to make the project a success.