A Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie is likely to happen sometime in the future, but it would need to fix the stage play’s most unforgivable flaw to succeed. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child debuted in 2016, continuing the story from J.K. Rowling’s books and Warner Bros.’ movie adaptations. The play picks up when Harry and his friends are in their late 30s, and it follows the adventures and struggles of Harry’s youngest son, Albus. The Harry Potter play has had a successful run in London’s West End and on Broadway, though it’s received its fair share of criticism from longtime fans.
To be fair, The Cursed Child does make changes to the original canon that don’t make much sense, particularly when it comes to the usage of Time Turners and Voldemort’s characterization. These are story problems a Cursed Child movie would need to fix, as they’d likely be noticed by fans of the original Harry Potter movies. However, there’s one even greater flaw that a film adaptation would need to address — and doing so could create bigger problems for the plot.
The Cursed Child Play Ruined Harry Potter’s Character (& A Movie Would Need To Fix It)
Although Harry Potter and the Cursed Child creates plot holes surrounding elements and characters from the original story, the play’s most unforgivable flaw is its portrayal of Harry himself. Throughout the Harry Potter books and movies, Harry is depicted as a kind person who’s capable of feeling empathy for others — even those who don’t necessarily deserve it. While Harry has his hot-headed moments, he’s held up as a generally compassionate person. This is especially true when it comes to the people he cares about. And the original story’s characterization of Harry is precisely why The Cursed Child is so unbelievable.
The Cursed Child shows Harry struggling to relate to his son, Albus, and the entire play unfolds because of a fight they have. Harry goes so far as to tell Albus that he wishes he weren’t his kid, creating a much bigger problem than all the obvious retcons. Even if Harry had angry outbursts at Ron and Hermione during the original story, he never said anything so hurtful to those he loved. Additionally, Harry would never treat his family poorly after the way the Dursleys treated him. A Cursed Child movie would need to alter this somehow, but that would create more issues for an adaptation.
Casting A Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie: 10 Perfect Recasts
With The Cursed Child being the only Harry Potter story yet to be made into a movie, it’s worth considering who would be the perfect casting choices.
Fixing The Cursed Child’s Character Flaw Creates A Problem For The Story
A movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would need to make Harry’s treatment of Albus more believable, but this would create a plot problem. After all, Harry’s words are the catalyst for Albus’ journey, and it’s unlikely his son would rebel to such lengths if his father treated him differently. With that in mind, a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child film will need to find a new way to kick off Albus’ adventure. This isn’t impossible, but it will require a new approach to the script and altered emotional stakes. Changing such things is risky but necessary to set the sequel up for success.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- First Film
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
- Harry Potter
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen
- TV Show(s)
- Harry Potter
- Character(s)
- Harry Potter , Hermione Granger , Ron Weasley , Dumbledore , Minerva McGonagall , Rubeus Hagrid , Dobby the House Elf , Draco Malfoy , Sirius Black , Ginny Weasley , Voldemort
