Daniel Radcliffe To Return For A Harry Potter Series?
Daniel Radcliffe could be returning to the role of Harry Potter.
This article is more than 2 years old
As the streaming wars heat up, WarnerMedia is looking to bring its biggest franchise to the small screen. Sources are reporting that Warner Bros. and HBO Max have been talking with writers about a potential Harry Potter series that would see their most popular property come to television. And Daniel Radcliffe could be a part of that.
The rumor, coming from insider Daniel Richtman, also says that Warner Bros. is reaching out to Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, for a potential return to one of the most popular characters in film history.
Of course, Warner and HBO Max executives are strongly denying that such discussions are taking place with either Daniel Radcliffe or anyone else as they told The Hollywood Reporter, “There are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform.” But as sources have claimed, the whole idea is in the very early stages of development as writers have been brought in to pitch ideas that could possibly see Harry Potter on the small screen.
As many bankable franchises begin to find their way to a number of streaming services, it should come as no surprise that Warner is wanting to do the same with its ever-popular Harry Potter franchise. The movie franchise alone has topped $9 billion, making it the third highest-grossing franchise in film history. It’s been ten years since fans last saw Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in the 2011 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and fans have been wanting more ever since. They got a taste of the Wizarding World with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well as its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and while popular, they weren’t Harry Potter. It should be noted, though, there are more Fantastic Beasts on the horizon with a third movie currently filming and two more in development.
While many of the original Harry Potter stars have said they’d have no problem returning to that world, Daniel Radcliffe has said time and again that he is done with Potter. In an early 2020 interview with Variety, Radcliffe answered if he could see himself wearing Potter’s spectacles one more time. “I don’t think so. I don’t like say no to things, but it’s not something that I’m rushing to do. I feel like those films have moved on and they’re doing just fine without us. I’m happy to keep it that way. I like what my life is now. I’m not saying that I’ll never go back into any franchise, but I like the flexibility that I have with my career now. And I don’t want to get into a situation where I’m signed up for one series for years in advance.” Plus, Daniel Radcliffe is at major odds with Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, after her perceived insensitive tweets concerning transgender as well as her lengthy essay she posted on her website addressing her tweets and her history with abuse. Radcliffe’s lengthy response to Rowling can be read here.
Obviously, there is much to sort out here, the first being is if there’s an actual Harry Potter series in the early development stages. All signs point to yes. Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, recently told ComicBook about a potential return, “I don’t know. I mean, never say never. I would never say, ‘Absolutely no.’ It was a huge part of my life and I’m very fond of that character and their stories. So yeah, I mean, I’d be up for it at the right time. I don’t know what capacity that would be, but yeah, we’ll see.” Next would be the level of Rowling’s involvement in a potential series as she controls the rights to the franchise, giving her a say in everything as it pertains to the property. It is, after all, her creation. So, this messy situation would absolutely have to be dealt with before Daniel Radcliffe would feel remotely comfortable picking up Potter’s wand and return to Hogwarts.
But with the success Disney+ is having with The Mandalorian and Marvel’s WandaVision, along with the anticipation surrounding the other upcoming Marvel series, WarnerMedia needs something big for its HBO Max streaming service in order to compete with Disney. So, don’t be shocked if Warner Bros. is somehow able to convince (money talks) Daniel Radcliffe and all other parties for one more Harry Potter adventure.
