The idea of a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie has been fans’ obsession for several years. Cursed Child is based on the original stage play, showing Harry, Ron, and Hermione as adults. It introduces new Hogwarts students, led by Harry’s son, Albus, and Draco Malfoy’s son, Scorpius, and the trouble they get into.

When original Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton signed on to the stage show to reprise his role as an adult, many fans dreamed of the original triplets from the Harry Potter franchise returning to their roles as well. That won’t happen thanks to their feelings towards J.K. Rowling, but it brings some big questions for fans.

If Harry Potter and the Cursed Child becomes a movie in the future, and the original cast won’t return as adults, who would be the best to play the characters? It would all have to start with a new Harry Potter, but who could fit into the role of the former Boy Wizard turned Head of Magical Law Enforcement?

1

Nicholas Hoult

Date Of Birth: December 7, 1989

Nicholas Hoult is no stranger to big-money blockbuster franchises. He played Beast in the X-Men movies and is now taking on the role of Lex Luthor in the new James Gunn Superman movie world. He has even been in a Dracula movie, so taking on the lead role in something as big as Harry Potter should be easy.

Hoult has the awkward personality needed to play Harry Potter, and as he showed with Lex Luthor and various other roles, he can also display the confidence the former Boy Wizard needs in his new role as Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Hoult also shares a similar look and build to Daniel Radcliffe, and could be a great replacement.

2

Paul Dano

Date Of Birth: June 19, 1984

Paul Dano is a little older than Daniel Radcliffe, but he has always played younger than his age, so he could easily play someone Harry Potter’s age. Like Nicholas Hoult, Dano has experience with major franchises. He played The Riddler in Robert Pattinson’s The Batman movie with a good mix of awkwardness and confidence needed for the role.

Dano is a great actor. He has won several awards throughout his career while working with directors as acclaimed as P.T. Anderson and Steve McQueen. He has the talent to step into the role that Radcliffe developed and not miss a beat, delivering a quality performance as the adult wizard now tasked with more responsibilities.

3

Dev Patel

Date Of Birth: April 23, 1990

It would be a mistake to simply match the adult Harry Potter in Cursed Child with Daniel Radcliffe, because this character needs to stand on his own. There is nothing wrong with bringing in someone of another nationality to play Potter, and the only people this would bother don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Patel has the look and talent to pull off Harry Potter convincingly.

Dev Patel has proven to be a master actor in the years since his breakout in Slumdog Millionaire. He has played just about every character type over his career, from dramas and comedies to martial arts movies. Patel has the look and talent to pull off Harry Potter convincingly, and could be a great, inclusive addition to the cast.

4

Taron Egerton

Date Of Birth: November 10, 1989

Taron Egerton is a Welsh actor who made his name playing a young spy in the action comedy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. Seeing him in the film, wearing his tux with his glᴀsses on, brings a very Harry Potter-esque feel to his appearance, and it would be easy to see him switching roles to become a wizard.

Egerton has shown his versatility as well, starring in a sports movie, Eddie the Eagle, portraying Elton John in Rocketman, and playing Henk Rogers, the man who secured the rights to distribute the video game Tetris in the ’80s. With such an eclectic mix of roles, Egerton seems perfect to take on the role of an adult Harry Potter.

5

Evan Peters

Date Of Birth: January 20, 1987

Even Peters is someone else with a lot of experience in blockbuster entertainment. He starred as Quicksilver in the X-Men franchise and then took on several different roles in the various seasons of American Horror Story. Add in his performance as Jeffrey Dahmer in Monster, and he might be the perfect fit for sliding into the role of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter had a traumatic childhood and has grown into an adult with the job of ensuring that what happens to him doesn’t happen to any other kids at Hogwarts. Evan Peters has played around with trauma in the AHS franchise, on both sides of the ordeal, and he could bring that experience with him into the Harry Potter franchise.

6

Joe Keery

Date Of Birth: April 24, 1992

Joe Keery is ready for a breakout, and taking on the role of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child could be that big step. Keery has experience in a franchise with Stranger Things, but he hasn’t really broken out away from the show, which gave him a chance to get his feet under him and prove himself.

He had strong performances in things like Fargo, where he had one of the main roles in Season 5 as Gator Tillman, and to a smaller extent in movies like Free Guy and Pavements. He could also be a nice addition to Harry Potter since he hasn’t had a major role yet, and this could break him out.

7

Daniel Kaluuya

Date Of Birth: February 24, 1989

If the casting for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child wants to think outside the box, a great actor to join the cast as Harry Potter is Daniel Kaluuya. Like Dev Patel, this could send one faction of fans into an uproar, but Kaluuya has the acting chops to deliver a special performance as the adult wizard in the sequel.

Kaluuya has portrayed the innocence and kindness that Potter needs in movies like Get Out, but he has also delivered powerful performances in movies like Black Panther and Judas and the Black Messiah. If anyone can play the kindly former Boy Wizard as the now strict and respected magic enforcement officer, it is Kaluuya.

8

Jeremy Allen White

Date Of Birth: February 17, 1991

Jeremy Allen White is getting his first chance to star in a major movie blockbuster as he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, he has also proved his acting chops by winning several awards for his role in the Hulu drama The Bear, which sees him as the main star.

While television fans know how talented this young actor is, the world could see his talent if he gets a chance in something like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He won’t get much recognition for his voice performance in the new FF movie, but he deserves something big like Cursed Child to finally prove how special he really is.

9

Logan Lerman

Date Of Birth: January 19, 1992

Logan Lerman got his chance to become the next Daniel Radcliffe when he took on the lead role in the young adult adaptation, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He was great in the role, and he even got a sequel, but the story and changes from the books pushed the base fans away, and it ended up dying off.

Percy Jackson got a new life thanks to Disney+, and Lerman deserves the same. He was great in the Prime Video series Hunters, and it is time to get another sH๏τ as the lead in something big. He is talented enough to replace Radcliffe in Cursed Child, and he could prove why he was the best thing in the Percy Jackson movies.

10

Jack Quaid

Date Of Birth: April 24, 1992

Jack Quaid got his break thanks to the Prime Video series The Boys, where he is the character whom fans follow the story. He has also proven that he can be a movie star as well, with the 2025 movies Companion and Novocaine, two very different films in terms of story and genre. He is ready for the next step.

He could play the adult Harry Potter and deliver a performance of someone who has seen bad things, since he has already played characters who lived through terrible events.

That could be Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He could play the adult Harry Potter and deliver a performance of someone who has seen bad things, since he has already played characters who lived through terrible events. He is someone who isn’t so big that he would overshadow the main characters, yet still hold his weight.