Harry Potter's emotional Return To Hogwarts reunion special offered the perfect proof that we need another Harry Potter movie with the original cast.
The success of Harry Potter’s Back To Hogwarts Reunion showed how eternal the Wizarding World’s fandom is, but it also proved just how much the world needs Harry Potter 9. Not only was the camaraderie among the cast infectious and the set stories delightful, but there was more than enough evidence to suggest that the Golden Trio simply must work together again. It may prove difficult, but the sentiment remains:
The Harry Potter Reunion has seen detractors, who picked out mistakes or questioned the missing Harry Potter original cast members, but it was the perfect tonic for fans who still feel like Hogwarts is home. Ignoring the expansions into the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts titles, the lack of a ninth Harry Potter movie has caused significant consternation. Even a Harry Potter & The Cursed Child movie would be welcome at this stage, even with that story’s issues. What is unthinkable is that a decade after the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2, there is no upcoming Harry Potter movie or TV show release planned.
Studios of Warner Bros’ size typically see the value of character brands well beyond their original releases or source material. Indiana Jones, Batman, James Bond, and far more are hugely valuable sellers for their respective rights owners and Harry Potter sits alongside them. The Harry Potter Reunion was absolutely a reminder of how great it was, but it was also an indication of how good what could come next might be if Warner Bros made Harry Potter 9. Not only is the deep brand affection there and the audience engaged to an almost unprecedented level, but the talent available makes it almost criminal not to revive Potter’s movies.
It’s easy to consider the Harry Potter Reunion something of a time capsule celebration, removed from the continuity, particularly with the In Memoriam section for Harry Potter actors who have passed. But, just as the Deathly Hallows’ epilogue promised a new generation as well as ending Harry Potter’s story, the reintroduction of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as a group felt like an insight into how great they could be again. As far as each has come from their initial Wizarding World casting, they were so perfectly cast that it’s impossible to separate the actor from the role, as they even say in the reunion. Not taking advantage of that once more seems illogical at best. The Harry Potter Reunion's best moments were largely centered on the three, and seeing more of them in the world built on the back of Chris Columbus' genius first vision for JK Rowling's books would be better than any upcoming Wizarding World expansion idea.
And on the subject of distance from release, the Harry Potter leads - and indeed actors like Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, and Alfred Enoch - have all grown as actors since the Deathly Hallows. Bringing them all back together for a grown-up Harry Potter movie sequel would be incredible, and would be like printing money for the studio. Even without a Voldemort, there could be other magical perils that would provide ample excuse to return to this world and while the actors may take some convincing, the reward would absolutely be worth it. Harry Potter's career as an Auror, Ron's decision to leave his own Auror's role, and Hermione's time as Minister for Magic are all huge story points and adding something like The Calamity from Wizard's Unite or another Dark Wizard (because there must surely be more) could unify the threads. So rich was the world of the Harry Potter movies that the story potential is almost infinite: what's harder to replace or replicate is the magic between the three leads, and indeed shared by the other cast members who could return.
Next: Harry Potter & Cursed Child Movie Would Have An Impossible Recast Issue
