It seems like only a matter of time before Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is made into a movie, but it would need to go through several major plot changes for this format to work. Because the Harry Potter sequel was written to be a stage play, it’s of a significantly different flavor than other installments in the franchise. Theatre doesn’t follow the same rules as movies, TV shows, or even books, so Harry Potter and the Cursed Child got away with presenting the wizarding world in a different light and even breaking continuity in a way that a film couldn’t do.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered at London’s Palace Theatre in 2016, accompanied by the published version of the script. In all, the play itself was met with critical acclaim. Bringing the magic of the wizarding world to a live stage was quite a feat, and rather than a plot continuity, this was the central focus of the Harry Potter sequel. However, off the stage, Cursed Child has been heavily criticized for its significant changes to canon. Therefore, if this story were brought to the screen, some heavy changes would have to be made.
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8 The Tone Of the Cursed Child Movie Must Fit With The Harry Potter Films
A Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fan trailer provides a perfect example of the potential movie’s tone.
A recent Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fan trailer has provided an excellent example of the kind of tone that would be perfect for a potential movie. Since the story was originally designed for the stage, it has a different feel and mood than the Harry Potter movies. There is a bit of the lighthearted nostalgia of the first couple of movies and far less of the dark themes seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. However, with an adult Harry and the threat of Voldemort’s return, a darker theme would be far more fitting for a Cursed Child movie.
7 A Stronger Focus On The Golden Trio Would Be Better For A Cursed Child Movie
A Cursed Child movie would only work if the Golen Trio actors returned and were the primary focus.
The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play certainly gives Harry, Ron, and Hermione some time in the spotlight, but it’s Harry and Draco’s sons, Albus and Scorpius, that take center stage throughout most of the plot. However, if a Cursed Child movie becomes a reality, the most significant appeal would be the return of the original Harry Potter cast, especially Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. A movie simply couldn’t happen without them, and such a reunion would mean far more attention must be placed on their characters.
6 Harry’s Career Should Be Changed For A Cursed Child Movie
Harry being a Hogwarts professor would make it easier for Cursed Child to focus on father and son together.
Once the tone and focus of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have been adjusted, it will be necessary to change the aspects of canon that never sat well with audiences. For example, the Harry Potter sequel revealed that Harry became the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and given his problems with the wizarding government in the past, this never made much sense. It would be far more fitting for Harry to become a teacher at Hogwarts, and this would make it far easier for Cursed Child to focus on Harry and his child.
5 A Cursed Child Movie Must Fix Ron Weasley’s Character
Ron’s silliness worked for the Cursed Child play, but a movie is a different matter.
Theatre has different character archetypes compared to film, and the role of comedic relief is often far sillier and more exaggerated than what is typically seen on the screen. Ron Weasley always served as a funny character in the Harry Potter movies, but the Cursed Child play took this to another level. The adult Ron was silly and bumbling, contrasting even more with his Minister for Magic wife, Hermione. A potential movie would need to tone this down, restoring Ron to the loyal and capable friend to Harry Potter that he has always been.
4 The “Advanced” Time-Turner Plot Would Need Altering For A Cursed Child Movie
Cursed Child changed how Time-Turners work, but a movie couldn’t get away with this.
Perhaps the greatest crime of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was its retcon of Time-Turners. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it was revealed that these devices could only travel so far back in time and that it was impossible to change events or create alternate timelines. Cursed Child threw this out the window with an “advanced” Time-Turner prototype, which was a frustrating breach of canon. Time travel could undoubtedly be a part of a Cursed Child movie, but other magical means that don’t break established continuity would be preferred.
3 Cedric Diggory’s Death Eater Plot Twist Should Be Left Out
There are several canonical problems with Cedric Diggory going evil in Cursed Child.
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In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, young Albus Potter messes up time when he tries to go back to the Triwizard Tournament and save Cedric Diggory. It’s a sweet sentiment, but the idea of noble, kind, and fair Cedric becoming a Death Eater simply because he was embarrassed is a stretch. It may be more interesting to see Albus and Scorpius attempt to go back in time to save Cedric but ultimately learn that traveling back that far is impossible. Even their attempt to do so could have some interesting consequences that jumpstart the story’s climax.
2 Cursed Child’s Alternate Universe Plotline Should Be Cut Out Of A Movie
A Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie wouldn’t have time for the dark alternate universe plot.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child utilizes a very Back-to-the-Future-Part-2-like alternate universe in which Albus and Scorpius realize the dangers of messing with time. This was a lot of fun for the stage, but it has been so overdone in film that it would hardly wow audiences of a Cursed Child movie. Additionally, the play is over three hours long, so aspects of the plot must be cut for this Harry Potter sequel to make it to the screen. Since Albus and Scorpius must be unsuccessful in traveling back in time, cutting the alternate universe plotline makes sense.
Of course, this would be the most significant change for a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie since this plotline is a substantial aspect of Albus and Scorpius’ story. Still, since Delphi’s goal is later to go back in time and stop her father—Lord Voldemort—from killing the Potters and thus bringing about his downfall, a Cursed Child movie could jump straight to this objective instead. If Albus and Scorpius discover through their attempts to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory that going back that far with a Time-Turner isn’t possible, it could inspire Delphi to try something else.
1 Delphi Can Use Dark Magic To Create A False Reality In Which Voldemort Survived
Rather than going back in time, Delphi could trap the wizarding world in an illusion using Dark Magic.
Delphi attempting to go back in time and stop Lord Voldemort from killing Potters makes perfect sense for a Harry Potter sequel. The main problem with the plot as it stands is the way it completely retcons Time-Turners. However, since Cursed Child exists within the magical Wizarding World, there are various other ways that Voldemort’s daughter could attempt to change history. Perhaps, after seeing that Albus and Scorpius’ attempt to use the Time-Turner to save Cedric Diggory failed, she attempts to use an obscure form of Dark magic instead.
Still, the Harry Potter books were clear that going back in time and truly preventing a death that actually happened isn’t possible. So, it would align better with canon if Delphi uses Dark magic to create and trap everyone within an illusion or false alternate reality in which Voldemort never killed the Potters and, therefore, lived on to rule the wizarding world. Perhaps the spell to create this illusion would require the blood of Voldemort’s enemy which would explain why Delphi needs Albus.
This would create the same dilemma for Harry Potter’s character as the stage play version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The Boy Who Lived would be tempted to remain in this false reality where his parents are alive, just as he was tempted to save his parents with the Time-Turner. However, he would have to accept that it wouldn’t be real, stop Delphi, and return to his life as an orphan. This would mean an intriguing story in a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie and one that doesn’t break the established continuity like the play does.
