I remember sitting in a dim LA screening room back in 2001, watching the first Harry Potter film unspool—the way those kids lit up the screen like they were born for it. Columbus nailed that casting, didn't he? Built the whole damn world around them. Now, here we are, over two decades later, and the director's putting a firm lid on any dreams of reuniting that trio for a big-screen take on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. “It's never going to happen,” he says flat out. Complications, he calls them—everyone's got their own take on things, and those takes don't line up anymore. Makes sense in this business; egos and visions clash all the time, especially when you're dealing with a franchise that's part of your DNA.
Columbus hasn't chatted with J.K. Rowling in more than ten years, but he's tight with the cast still. Just spoke to Daniel Radcliffe the other day, he mentions, and keeps in touch with the rest. That's telling—suggests he knows where heads are at without needing a crystal ball. The play itself, set two decades after Deathly Hallows, follows Harry's son Albus at Hogwarts, stirring up old magic in new ways. On stage, it's a hit; translating that to film with the grown-up originals? Once an idea Columbus toyed with, but now it's buried. Too many moving parts that won't sync.
Shifting gears to the Wizarding World's next chapter, Columbus is watching that HBO TV series reboot closely. Shooting's underway at Leavesden studios—the same spot where it all began—and from the glimpses he's caught, they're echoing what he started, just stretching it out over eight episodes per book. More room to breathe, sure, but he admits it's tough picturing fresh faces in those iconic roles. John Lithgow as Dumbledore? Nick Frost stepping into Hagrid's boots? “It's part of my DNA,” he says, “and I can't get beyond it.” Echoes of when Michael Gambon took over from Richard Harris— even that switch threw him back then. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane… they're ghosts in the machine now, hard to overwrite.
It's a reminder of how these mega-franchises evolve, or stall. We've seen it before—think Star Wars sequels juggling legacy casts with new blood, sometimes clicking, often not. Here, the reboot's reportedly burning through $200 million a season, aiming to retell the books beat by beat. Smart play for streaming wars, locking in subscribers for years. But Columbus? He's moved on to other spells. Teasing sequels to Gremlins and The Goonies after three decades of tinkering—finally something he and Spielberg are happy with. And his latest, The Thursday Murder Club, just hit Netflix at a tight 118 minutes after trimming from over two-and-a-half hours. British actors brought him right back to Potter days, he notes, all pro and precise. With four more books in that series, a franchise could brew if it catches fire.
Makes you wonder about legacy in this town. Build something timeless, and everyone's got a stake—cast, creators, studios. Sometimes it holds; other times, it fractures. Would a Cursed Child film have captured that old spark anyway? Or just felt like chasing shadows?
Snapshot: Columbus on Harry Potter's Past and Future
Casting Legacy Endures Columbus takes pride in handpicking the original Harry Potter actors and designing the franchise's visual world, a foundation that's tough to rebuild even for reboots.
Reboot Realities The new TV series mirrors his early films but expands with more episodes, though recasting core roles like Dumbledore remains a personal hurdle for him.
Cursed Child Off the Table Differing opinions among the cast and creators have killed any chance of adapting the stage play to screen with the original stars.
Staying Connected Despite years apart from Rowling, Columbus maintains strong ties with Radcliffe and the ensemble, grounding his views on the franchise's direction.
New Horizons Ahead He's optimistic about long-gestating sequels to Gremlins and The Goonies, plus potential expansions for The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix.
What lingers for you in the Wizarding World—or are you ready for the reboot? Drop your thoughts in the comments, share this if it stirred some nostalgia, and swing back for more on trailers, reviews, and industry shifts.
Source: The Times
