‘Harry Potter’ Original Director Wants to Film ‘Cursed Child’ With Original Cast

Chris Columbus, the director of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (the first movie in the franchise), says he would love to helm a film adaptation of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Though –– he has some stipulations. He’d like to do the movie with the original cast (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) in the roles. “I would love to direct The Cursed Child. It’s a great play and the kids are actually the right age to play those roles. It’s a small fantasy of mine,” Columbus said in an interview with Variety.

Radcliffe is now 32, Grint 33, and Watson is 31, so the idea may have perfect timing. The three stars were previously aged with makeup for Deathly Hallows, Part 2, but the looks didn’t go over well among fans, most of whom thought the job could’ve done more to add some years. 

Written by Jack Thorne with the story provided by J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany, the play followed an adult Harry Potter 19 years after the events of the Deathly Hallows, as the head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child went on to win six Tony awards at the 2018 show.

Colombus also shared several sentimental memories from his time working on the movie –– including that he feared he would be fired from the production in the first couple of days. “I had every expectation that I would probably be fired within the first two weeks. I was very, I don’t want to say anxious, but aware of the fact that if I screw this up, I probably will never work again. And I would have millions of fans that my door just infuriated. I knew I was taking on something fairly gigantic, and I’ve never been involved in a project that had so much scrutiny,” he told the outlet. “Aside from Warner Brothers hiring me, I still had to meet with Jo Rowling. She had the final say. I flew to Scotland to meet with her and we talked for about two and a half, maybe three hours, to explain my vision for the film. She didn’t say much. Then when I finished, she said, “I see the film exactly the same way.” I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got it.’ That was a moment of pure elation, followed quickly by sheer panic. I knew I had to deliver a film that would not only please fans, but also myself because I was a fan. That kind of got me through filming. I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to make this film for myself.’ I didn’t think about the billions of eyes that would be on this film when it was released.”