Even though there are no newHarry Potterbooks that we know of coming out anytime soon, the wizarding world is continuing to be explored by creatorJ.K. Rowlingin other formats. But could we have a new movie to look forward to in the near future? Recently, the stage playHarry Potter and the Cursed Childopened in London, and the story is a continuation of the mainHarry Potterstory that ended withThe Deathly Hallows. And it looks like Warner Bros. may be looking at the possibility of a movie.
A trademark and copyright expert from Ireland namedBrian Conroyrecently revealed via hiswebsitethat Warner Bros. filed a trademark forHarry Potter and the Cursed Childon July 8. Up to this point, virtually every other trademark filed forThe Cursed Childhad been done byJ.K. Rowling, and not Warner Bros., who produced all eight of theHarry Pottermovies. The trademark that was filed by the studio is a class 9, which is typically reserved for movies, and also covers merchandise.
J.K. Rowlingand Warner Bros. have a solid relationship, so the fact that the studio has registered a trademark forThe Cursed Childisn’t all that surprising, assuming it is just to cover their bases. It makes every bit of legal sense for the studio. But,Rowlinghas been vocal about the fact thatHarry Potter and the Cursed Childwill not be a movie and was always intended to be a stage play. Back in February, the author responded to a fan who mentioned the idea of the play being turned into a movie, and she was very clear about that not being in the cards.
You heard wrong, I’m afraid. #CursedChild is a play. #FantasticBeasts will be 3 movies, though!"
We know that Warner Bros. will make as manyHarry Potter moviesas they possibly can, because they have been insanely profitable for the studio. The eightHarry Pottermovies made a combined $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office, making it easily one of the most financially successful franchises of all-time. AsRowlingmentioned, the studio is releasingFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themin November, the first of a planned spinoff/prequel trilogy, whichRowlingwrote the script for herself. Warner Bros. very clearly wants to cash in on the property as much as they possibly can. But they likely can’t and wouldn’t do anything withoutRowling’s blessing.
Being thatRowlinghas been vocal about the fact that she doesn’t want to seeThe Cursed Childturned into a movie, there are a few options. One, Warner Bros. has somehow convinced her to change her mind, and is indeed planning a feature based onHarry Potter and the Cursed Child. Or, they are just registering the trademark and sitting on it, hoping that someday they can make the movie, but currently aren’t planning anything. The third, and most likely option, is that the studio is going to film the actualstage playand release it in theaters, so thatHarry Potterfans who can’t make the trip to London or afford the very high ticket price can still see the show. That would seem like a no-brainer even if they studio had a movie secretly in the works, because they could turn a huge profit on something that likely wouldn’t cost all that much to produce. AndRowlingwould likely want fans to be able to seeThe Cursed Child, and that would be a good way to ensure that could happen.
The story ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Childtakes place several years after the events ofThe Deathly Hallows, and follows the adult lives ofHarry Potter, Hermione and Ron. As of right now, the only planned release of the newHarry Potterstory outside of the play, is a printed version of the actual play itself. We will be sure to keep you posted on any details regarding Warner Bros. future plans withHarry Potter and the Cursed Childas they become available.
