Harry Potter: Will HBO Max's TV Show Adapt The Cursed Child?
HBO Max is in the early stages of developing a Harry Potter live-action TV series, and they could finally adapt Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Released in 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child served as a two-part play based on a story by J.K. Rowling. The play was set 19 years after the events of Rowling's first Harry Potter tale, which spanned seven books before becoming an eight-film series. With the news of HBO Max's plans, many fans will be wondering if the stage play will get an adaptation opportunity through a different medium.
The Harry Potter film series launched in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Over the course of the next decade, Warner Bros. released seven sequels with Daniel Radcliffe in the titular role as the boy wizard. In total, the franchise made over $7 billion at the box office, influencing a new interest in films based on young adult literature. When Cursed Child commenced in London, the play marked the first true sequel to Rowling's original story. And due to the limited exposure by being a limited stage play, the script was published in print and digital formats so the story would reach a wider audience.
While Harry is still a prominent character in Cursed Child as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, the story also heavily follows his son, Albus Severus Potter. The young boy is a newcomer to Hogwarts, where he meets and befriends Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Harry's former rival, Draco Malfoy. With a mix of new and familiar figures, Cursed Child centers on a misadventure involving Albus and Scorpius as a mission with a Time-Turner goes awry. Considering there has been interest in Cursed Child becoming a movie since the script was published, HBO Max would be smart in developing the story through a medium never used in the Harry Potter universe since an adaptation already seems inevitable.
Ever since Cursed Child was unveiled as the eighth Harry Potter story, avid fans were hoping it would be adapted in some form. Rowling instantly nixed the idea of a film but never stopped the rumors from swirling. After news came out about Warner Bros.' supposed interest in a Cursed Child movie trilogy, Rowling put those unconfirmed reports to rest. Since then, Rowling and the studio put their focus on the prequels. Granted, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has run into trouble, including underperforming at the box office. Revisiting original characters like Harry for an HBO Max project might be the best bet. With Cursed Child, the streaming service already has the perfect source material.
While Rowling and Warner Bros. claimed there were never plans for developing Cursed Child into a movie, it still seems likely that the story will become the basis for a future project sooner or later. Now that the coronavirus pandemic changed the landscape of movies intended for theaters, the debate for bringing Cursed Child to a new form of live-action may have shifted. Hamilton already proved that a filmed version of a stage production on a streaming service could be a great success. A Harry Potter and the Cursed Child TV show would take that method to the next level through a true adaptation. Actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint have expressed interest in reprising their Harry Potter roles. It sure looks like the stars are aligning for Rowling's eighth story serving as the focus for HBO Max's new project.
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