For years, speculation has swirled among fans of the beloved Harry Potter franchise about the possibility of a cinematic reunion featuring the original trio—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Hopes were especially high for a film adaptation of the hit stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which imagines the iconic characters as adults nearly two decades after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But as of late August 2025, those dreams have been officially dashed by none other than Chris Columbus, the director who brought the magic of Hogwarts to life in the first two films.
Columbus, who helmed 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, made his position crystal clear in an interview published by The Sunday Times on August 30, 2025. When asked about the prospect of a reunion or a Cursed Child movie with the original cast, Columbus didn’t mince words: “It’s never going to happen. It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff. Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible.”
That “her” in question is, of course, J.K. Rowling—the author whose imagination birthed the entire wizarding world. In recent years, Rowling has become an increasingly polarizing figure, particularly due to her outspoken views on transgender rights. According to The Hollywood Reporter, her social media posts and public statements have drawn sharp criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and many in the Harry Potter community. Earlier this year, Rowling celebrated a U.K. Supreme Court ruling that determined the legal definition of a woman refers to biological sex, a decision that many saw as a setback for transgender rights.
Columbus, for his part, has distanced himself from Rowling’s views, stating, “I haven’t spoken to Miss Rowling in a decade or so, so I have no idea what’s going on with her.” While he’s stepped back from direct involvement with the author, Columbus remains closely connected to the original cast. “I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago,” he told The Times U.K. “I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast.”
The rift between Rowling and the stars of her franchise has grown increasingly public. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in all eight films, has been especially vocal in his disagreement with Rowling’s stance on transgender issues. In 2020, Radcliffe issued a statement declaring, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either (Rowling) or I.” Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have likewise expressed support for the trans community and distanced themselves from Rowling’s remarks.
Rowling, meanwhile, has not softened her position. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she has stated she would not forgive those who support trans healthcare, explicitly naming Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint among them. Radcliffe later responded, “Rowling’s comments make me really sad.” The tension has left the original cast and creator on opposing sides of a deeply divisive issue, making any kind of cinematic reunion a nonstarter.
It wasn’t always this way. Back in 2021, Columbus told The Hollywood Reporter he was eager to bring Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to the big screen with the original trio. “A version of ‘Cursed Child’ with Dan, Rupert and Emma at the right age, it’s cinematic bliss,” he said at the time. “If you’re a film nerd or cinephile, it’s kind of like what J.J. (Abrams) did with ‘Star Wars.’ … I think that would be the same situation for ‘Harry Potter’ fans. To be able to actually see these adult actors now back in these roles? Oh, yeah. It would be amazingly fun to make that film — or two films.”
But as the years went on and the public debate around Rowling’s statements intensified, the likelihood of such a project faded. “It’s never going to happen,” Columbus reiterated in 2025, citing the growing complexity of the situation. “It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff.”
While a Cursed Child film starring Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint is off the table, the Harry Potter universe is far from dormant. HBO has announced a new television series adapting the original books, with Rowling serving as a producer and working closely with the writers. The series will feature a fresh cast of young actors stepping into the iconic roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Columbus expressed mixed feelings about the project, telling The Sunday Times that he was surprised to see Nick Frost’s Hagrid costume in a promotional image for the show. “He’s wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid,” Columbus remarked. “Part of me was like, ‘What’s the point?’ I thought everything was going to be different, but it’s more of the same.”
Meanwhile, the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to draw audiences in London’s West End. The play, which debuted in 2016, is set 19 years after the events of the final book and follows the adult versions of Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they grapple with new challenges and the next generation of wizards. In a bit of good news for longtime fans, Tom Felton—who played Draco Malfoy in the films—announced in June 2025 that he will reprise his role in the play starting in November. Felton, for his part, seems less concerned about the controversy surrounding Rowling. He told Variety, “I have not seen anything bring the world together more than ‘Potter,’ and she’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.”
As for the possibility of a future reunion, the consensus among those closest to the franchise appears to be a firm no. With the original cast and Rowling now firmly on opposite sides of a cultural divide, the magic of seeing Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint together on screen again seems to have slipped through fans’ fingers. For now, the wizarding world continues in new forms, but the era of the original cast appears to be closed for good.
Sometimes, even the strongest spells can’t overcome the divisions of the real world—leaving a generation of fans to remember the magic as it was, not as it might have been.