Director Chris Columbus believes that a Harry Potter reunion movie is extremely unlikely. While still prominent today, the movies were absolute juggernauts when they first entered theaters, grossing $7.7 billion at the box office, even without accounting for inflation. While the Fantastic Beasts spin-off franchise struggled to retain momentum, Harry Potter always thrived.

This success was partly driven by successful casting for the original movies. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermione), and Rupert Grint (Ron) perfectly represented the Golden Trio, and they each grew with the franchise and their audience. Audiences were able to connect with these characters throughout the 10-year release cycle.

Unfortunately, Columbus, who directed the first two movies, believes that they will never reunite in a Harry Potter movie. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he explained that, because of author J.K. Rowling’s controversial views about transgender people, many of those original cast members have no interest in reprising their roles. Check out Columbus’ quote below:

It’s never going to happen. It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff. Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible. I haven’t spoken to Miss Rowling in a decade or so, so I have no idea what’s going on with her, but I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago. I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast.

What This Means For The Harry Potter Franchise

In the past decade, Rowling has repeatedly railed against transgender people, while Watson, Grint, and Radcliffe have consistently defended the LGBTQ+ community. Their stance eventually led Rowling to criticize the actors directly, which only makes a reunion movie even less likely.

There was previously a Harry Potter revival in 2022. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts saw many cast members return to celebrate the series, though they did not reprise their roles. The three stars were among the returnees, though Rowling did not appear outside of short archival clips.

There is potential for a sequel in the form of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but Columbus’ comments make its development increasingly unlikely. Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton recently elected to reprise his role as Draco through the Cursed Child play, but other actors have been largely uninvolved throughout its run.

Our Take On Harry Potter’s Potential Sequel

Columbus does not believe that a theatrical Harry Potter follow-up will ever happen, but the reality is that it does not need to happen. While Warner Bros. Discovery would certainly love to see the financial returns of its release, there is already an alternate project in development.

The Harry Potter TV reboot should be an effective replacement for the original movies, if done well. If it fails to capture audience attention, then the next step would rationally be a Cursed Child sequel, but the actors certainly have the right to refuse working under Rowling again.

Per Columbus’ comments, Rowling’s consistent attacks on LGBTQ+ people have become a major hindrance to the franchise. As it stands, Warner Bros. needs the Harry Potter TV reboot to succeed if this franchise is to be revived, and that is certainly not a guarantee.