While nothing has been officially announced, it seems like the Fantastic Beasts franchise is dead and buried at Warner Bros. Discovery. While the Fantastic Beasts movies didn’t quite capture the financial magic of the Harry Potter films, the Wizarding World franchise is still WBD’s biggest and most valuable piece of intellectual property – so what does the future hold for the Harry Potter universe?
Since he was appointed as the head of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav has shown an great amount of interest in working with J.K. Rowling, with plans to restore the Harry Potter franchise back to it’s former position as on of Hollywood’s most beloved IP’s.
So, assuming that the Fantastic Beasts franchise ended with The Secrets Of Dumbledore, what should we expect from the Wizarding World next? Here are a few ideas of where we think the franchise should go moving forward:
A Full Reboot
While this is an unlikely move for Warner Bros. Discovery, given that the original Harry Potter movies are still so beloved and relevant, there is always the possibility that a full reboot of the Harry Potter series is on the way. If WBD were to reboot the Harry Potter series, I would imagine a television adaptation, opposed to a full movie reboot, would be the chosen route. With that said, I feel it is still too early for a full reboot of the Harry Potter series.
More Spin-Offs
The most likely course of action for the franchise is the announcement of more spin-offs. Following the Fantastic Beasts franchise, which wasn’t as successful as originally hoped, it is likely Warner Bros. Discovery will push for spin-offs that have deeper connections to the Harry Potter series. This means we might get a film focused on the Founders of Hogwarts, or even that Marauder’s prequel we’ve all been waiting for.
An Original Project
When it comes to the future of the Harry Potter franchise, I feel it’s important for WBD to invest in new ideas. We’ve seen how successful original stories in the Wizarding World can be, especially after the success of Hogwarts Legacy, so maybe it’s time for the studio to start developing original stories set in the world of Harry Potter. Allowing filmmakers to step-in and tell their own stories within the Wizarding World could be a great way to keep the franchise fresh and successful.
The Cursed Child
Since the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage, fans have wondered if a film adaptation will ever make its way to the big screen. Despite the fact that a new rumour pops up almost weekly claiming a Cursed Child movie is in development, it seems as though no official moves have been made. While it wouldn’t be easy for Warner Bros. Discovery to get a Cursed Child movie made, since it would mean getting the original cast back together, this is by far the most obvious and lucrative path for the Harry Potter franchise.
Fantastic Beasts Spin-Offs
While the Fantastic Beasts movies weren’t as successful as Warner Bros. Discovery might have hoped, there’s no denying that certain elements of the franchise were massively popular with fans. One possible route for Warner Bros. Discovery is to greenlight Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, possibly as an original series, exploring the more successful sides of the franchise. This could mean finishing the central narrative of the Fantastic Beasts franchise with a Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald project.
What would you like to see from the Wizarding World franchise next? Let us know in the comments section below this post and check out some of our other features!
