5 Things That Make Rumored Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie Sure Flop

Over the past few months, the title 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' has been popping up online with suspicious frequency. Warner Bros. has made it loud and clear that they are going to focus on their most popular IPs, with Harry Potter at the forefront.

The Max show, based on J.K. Rowling's legendary book series is already in the works and is set to hit the streaming giant in 2026. So an adaptation of Jack Thorne's popular stage play seems like a natural next step. After all, it's been in the rumor mill for years.

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav reportedly first pitched the idea of bringing The Cursed Child to the big screen back in 2016, when the script book for Thorne's play was released. And since then, talk of the adaptation has only gotten stronger.

Recently, a fan-made trailer sent shockwaves through the Wizarding World community, leading many to believe that the Cursed Child movie is a done deal.

Fortunately, the project has not actually been greenlit. While it would be fun to dive back into the magical universe, fans are certain that if The Cursed Child is ever made, it will be a disaster. Here are five reasons why.

1. Worst Source Material

The Cursed Child might be okay as a stand-alone play. But it is hard to find worse source material for a sequel to an iconic film series. As we said, J.K. Rowling didn't have much to do with the story. Her name is only mentioned as one of the originators of the idea. Probably because of this, the plot feels more like fanfiction and breaks the established Wizarding World lore more than once.

2. Casting Issues

The Cursed Child is about the next generation of wizards and witches, the children of the beloved characters. Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy become best friends at Hogwarts and create a time-bending mess with the help of a Time-Turner.

All the original characters (including those who have died) appear in the story. So a movie would require the return of many of the franchise's stars, some of whom are sadly deceased (RIP Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane) and some of whom are not eager to come back. This makes recasting and fan disappointment inevitable.

3. Betrayal of the Canon

The story breaks the atmosphere and established laws of the Wizarding World. Nothing in the tone and themes of the play matches the original. And there's a huge plot hole involving the effect of the Time-Turner.

Whereas in the original films everything done in the past affected the future of the same timeline, Albus and Scorpius' actions create parallel realities. Do we really need another multiverse?

4. Ruining Beloved Characters

Perhaps the worst thing about The Cursed Child is that it taints characters who have been with us for decades. Harry fails as a father and is shown to be abusive and toxic. Ron dies and Hermione becomes the depressed, cruel, lonely widow. The sweet Trolley Witch is revealed as a pure monster.

Cedric Diggory survives the Triwizard Tournament and turns to the dark side, becoming a Death Eater. Heck, even Voldemort is not what we thought he was. In Cursed Child, he is a family man.

5. Fan Hate

Considering all of the above, the majority of Harry Potter fans hate The Cursed Child and would never spend a dollar to see it in theaters. This makes the rumored movie (which will undoubtedly require a huge budget) a potential box office failure. So this is probably the biggest reason why Warner Bros. should never even think about adapting The Cursed Child.