A new Harry Potter update from Warner Bros. Discovery is bad news for any potential Marauders prequel. Harry Potter was a worldwide success and the universe has developed in multiple ways, including the stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the Fantastic Beasts series, and the soon-to-be-released Hogwarts Legacy game. The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special airing at the beginning of 2022 only reinforced how much the audience still loves the franchise and that there is space for future spinoffs. Despite the Fantastic Beasts' future looking unlikely, fans still have plenty of ideas for how they want to see the Wizarding World expand.
One of these ideas is the Marauders prequel, but recent comments from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav indicate there's little chance of that project ever happening. Speaking on a call to shareholders, Zaslav seemed to confirm the broader Wizarding World franchise is dead while claiming they “haven’t done a Harry Potter in 15 years." Zaslav clearly does not count the Fantastic Beasts movies as Harry Potter movies and wants future installments to continue on with the titular boy wizard and the original characters. Warner Bros. going back to concentrating on Harry Potter means a greater likelihood of a Cursed Child movie but less potential for fan-favorite ideas for spinoff movies and TV shows, such as the Marauders prequel.
Fantastic Beats Proves Warner Bros Should Return To Harry Potter
The Fantastic Beasts franchise proves Warner Bros. should return to the beloved Harry Potter series. Despite the initial success of the first movie, the sequels have all underperformed, and now Fantastic Beasts 4 is not even in development, leading to speculation that this means the series is now dead. Also, the constant controversies surrounding Fantastic Beasts with Ezra Miller’s arrests, Johnny Depp's allegations, and J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments have tainted the franchise. Ending the Fantastic Beasts movies and returning to beloved and well-known characters would be a fresh restart for Warner Bros. and allow them to draw audiences back in before trying something else with new stories and characters again.
Warner Bros. needs J.K. Rowling’s approval for further Harry Potter movies legally, but her involvement with Fantastic Beasts and The Cursed Child proves she wants to carry on expanding the Harry Potter universe. The Cursed Child also has the potential to be adapted into a movie and is already a solid story with favorite characters such as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. The success of The Cursed Child helps with the potential movie and would be a better idea than Fantastic Beasts 4. However, there could be an issue with bringing back the original actors. Many of them have gained success elsewhere and have all spoken out against J.K. Rowling, so it is possible they would not want to work with her again.
The Marauders Prequel Could Do What Fantastic Beasts Couldn’t
A Marauders prequel could do what the Fantastic Beasts franchise could not: provide a fresh start for the Harry Potter universe. Exploring the adventures of the Marauders and their time at Hogwarts would be perfect for an in-depth TV show, allowing it to have fewer plot holes like the Fantastic Beasts franchise. A Marauders prequel could explore characters the audience knows —including their eventual outcomes, adding layers to the plot and the characters' relationships. A Marauders prequel could build out the universe separate from Harry, Ron, and Hermione to achieve what Fantastic Beasts could not, and be a big success for Warner Bros. and the Harry Potter universe.