DirectorChris Columbus, who introduced fans to whatJ.K. Rowling’s wizarding world would look like on the big screen, said in an interview with journalistJake Hamiltonthat there is “no point” in remaking or rebooting the Harry Potter films. Columbus directedHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneandHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the first two movies in the series, which has since emerged as one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.
It was Columbus who helped castDaniel Radcliffe,Emma WatsonandRupert Grintas teenage wizard Harry and his best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. The actors would go on to play the trio in eight films over a decade.Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonecelebrates its 20th anniversary this month.
Asked if he thinks the films will ever be remade, and if they even should be remade, Columbus said:
“I can’t answer the first… I don’t know. In this version of Hollywood that we live in, everybody is remaking everything, and rebooting everything. I mean, there’s a Home Alone reboot coming out. What’s the point? The movie exists, let’s just live with the movie that existed. There’s no point in us remaking The Wizard of Oz, there’s no point in any of us remaking the classic films. Make something original, because we need more original material. So, no point.”
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The director’s comments also seemed to suggest that he isn’t fully on board with the idea ofaHome Alonereboot, which is just around the corner. He helmed the now-iconic original children’s film, which starredMacaulay Culkinas a kid who gets left behind at home as his family goes on vacation to Europe over Christmas.
Columbus is a bit of a franchise man; after directing two Harry Potter films, he made the first movie in thePercy Jacksonseries, and then the second one inThe Christmas Chroniclesfranchise on Netflix. He said that he originally intended to direct every Harry Potter movie, but dropped out after two because of their time-consuming nature. He admitted that he would’ve liked to return to direct the final installment,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as it is his favorite book of the series.
After eight films — the final book was divided into two — the Harry Potter franchise expanded into a series of spinoffs that initially began as an adaptation of theFantastic Beastssupplementary book written by Rowling. But the series, starringEddie Redmayneas “magizoologist” Newt Scamander, has since become more of a Potter prequel, telling the epic story of a young Albus Dumbledore and his one-time friend-turned-foe, Gellert Grindelwald. The third Fantastic Beasts film, titledThe Secrets of Dumbledore, is set for an August 09, 2025 release.
