Chris Columbus Shuts Down ‘Cursed Child’ Movie Hopes For One Reason: ‘It’s Never Going to Happen’

Chris Columbus, the director who first brought Harry Potter to the big screen, says fans should stop hoping for a movie version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

In a new interview with The Times U.K., Columbus made it clear that an adaptation is not happening.

“It’s never going to happen,” he said. “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.”

The “her” he’s referring to is J.K. Rowling. Over the past few years, Rowling has been heavily criticized for her comments about transgender people.

She has spoken against gender identity laws, dismissed the idea of trans women being women, and repeatedly written essays and social media posts that many people, including LGBTQ+ activists and allies, have called transphobic.

Because of this, her reputation has taken a big hit, and several actors from the Harry Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, have publicly distanced themselves from her.

Columbus admitted he hasn’t spoken to Rowling in about ten years, but he still stays in touch with the actors who grew up in the films. “I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago,” he explained. “I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast.”

The Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place almost twenty years after the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The story focuses on Harry’s son Albus Severus Potter, who ends up in Slytherin House and struggles with living in his father’s shadow.

Fans have long speculated about a film version, with hopes that Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint could reprise their roles. Columbus himself had previously shown interest in making it happen, calling the idea of a reunion “a spectacular idea.”

But in this latest interview, he made it clear that his opinion has changed. He said the new HBO and Warner Bros. series, which is rebooting the original books as a television show, feels unnecessary. “It’s more of the same,” he said. “It’s difficult imagining anyone else” stepping into roles once played by actors like Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, and Robbie Coltrane.

Columbus even admitted that after seeing first-look photos from the TV project, he felt doubtful. “What’s the point?” he asked.

This isn’t the first time Columbus has addressed Rowling’s views. Earlier this week, he said he “certainly” doesn’t agree with her, describing her opinions as “very sad.” He also admitted he tries to separate his feelings about her from the Harry Potter stories themselves. “I sometimes separate the artist from the art,” he explained.

For fans hoping for a big-screen reunion of the original Harry Potter cast in The Cursed Child, it looks like the dream really is over.

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