Will we ever see a sequel to the Harry Potter movies hit theaters? Director Chris Columbus would like to make it happen. The man who helmed the first two Harry Potter films recently discussed his interest in making another Harry Potter movie - specifically, a sequel that focuses on what happens to Harry, Ron and Hermione in the years after Harry faced off with Voldemort.
Chris Columbus made the comments during an interview with Entertainment Weekly Radio, specifying his interest in directing a sequel to the Harry Potter films, as opposed to being involved in the Harry Potter adjacent spinoff/prequel-ish Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"I would love to go back and do another one. Not Fantastic Beasts as much, which I think is going to be amazing, but I would love to do another movie with those three characters — Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I’m just fascinated about what happened to them after the end of the last movie, because then they cut to 18 years ahead. There’s 18 years there of great Harry Potter stories.
Chris Columbus is certainly not alone in wanting to know more details about what became of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger during the years between the Battle of Hogwarts and the 19-years-later epilogue, which shows them bringing their children to Platform 9 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express.
Beyond what the epilogue tells us about the lead characters' post-Hogwarts fate, the closest thing we've gotten to a followup may be the article Rowling posted at Pottermore, which was written from the perspective of the gossipy character, Rita Skeeter. It offered some vague and potentially embellished updates on some of the main characters. (Set within the timeline of the books, the Pottermore article was set a few years ahead of the 2017-set 19-years-later time period.)
While many fans would likely love to hear word of a sequel to the Harry Potter films, I'm sure most, if not all, would prefer it if the story were being written -- or at the very least, developed by -- J.K. Rowling herself. From what Columbus told EW, it sounds like he hasn't been able to muster the courage to bring up the topic to Rowling just yet, due to his high level of respect for the author.
She should do what she wants to do, but I really would love to know what’s in her head about those missing years.
Wouldn't we all!
But again, if a sequel is made, it should be canon. I know I'd be a lot less enthused about a Harry Potter sequel if J.K. Rowling weren't directly involved in the story.
In the case of the other Harry Potter offshoots in the works, Rowling is involved in the writing. For Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, which is set seventy years before Harry Potter and centers on the author of the titular book, Newt Scamander, Rowling has penned the screenplay. And for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the non-prequel stage play that's in development, J.K. Rowling did not write the script (Jack Thorne did), but she has confirmed that the story is to be considered canon.
It's unlikely that the appetite for Harry Potter has died down much since the last film hit theaters, but we'll know one way or another next year when Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them hits theaters (November 18, 2016). In the meantime, those of us who are eager for more details about the Harry Potter characters can continue enjoying J.K. Rowling's Tweets, not to mention the updates that have been posted over at the official Harry Potter (book) site, Pottermore.com.
