According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us Disney is developing an Aladdin sequel and Han is returning in Fast & Furious 9 – Warner Bros. wants Daniel Radcliffe to reprise his role as Harry Potter in one of the Fantastic Beasts sequels. Right now, the plan – if the actor agrees – is to have his return take place in the fifth and final film of the series, in which WB is reportedly planning to do a flash-forward showing Harry, as an adult, conversing with a much older Newt towards the end of the movie.
As we reported earlier, though, the studio may be toying with the possibility of ending the Fantastic Beasts series after the fourth feature if the third installment doesn’t perform well. If this happens, then we’re told Radcliffe’s cameo would simply be bumped up. Which is to say he’d appear in Fantastic Beasts 4 instead. But again, it’s all contingent on the actor agreeing to return. Though from what we understand, the studio is willing to give him a sizable salary to make it happen.
Right now, however, nothing is set in stone and unfortunately, it may be a while before we learn more. After all, following the disappointing release of The Crimes of Grindelwald, WB announced that its sequel would be delayed to November 2021. But with the cornovarius pandemic halting production and distribution across the globe, Potterheads may have to wait even longer till they get to visit to the Wizarding World once again.
While some have attributed the lackluster performance of The Crimes of Grindelwald to ‘franchise fatigue’ – a phenomenon popularized by the box office bust that was Disney’s hotly anticipated (and oversaturated) Solo: A Star Wars Story – the real fault probably lies with the series’ script, which compares rather unfavorably to the tightly-written Harry Potter stories we all know and love. Management of production delays and audience expectations aside though, Fantastic Beasts has also been facing some serious PR issues lately.
As we all know, Grindelwald actor Johnny Depp has been involved in a lengthy and increasingly bewildering legal scuffle with ex-wife Amber Heard, while the Flash star Ezra Miller – who plays obscurial Credence (Dumbledore?) – has become the subject of a wave of online criticism after a video showing him choking a female fan outside a bar in Iceland leaked earlier this week.
One thing’s for certain, and that’s that WB will need some real magic to clean up this mess. But if they’re able to bring in Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter for a cameo in a future Fantastic Beasts film, that’d certainly go a long way to getting the fans back on board with the series.
