With the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J. K. Rowling announced that there would be no more Harry Potter stories. A lot of people think that this means the end of the Wizarding World as we know it, but I have a different theory.
I like driving down to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter by myself on weekends sometimes. I find it soothing to completely immerse myself in my fandom and surround myself with others like me. Going by myself is kind of therapeutic because I can see and do whatever I want at my own pace, and also because I love to meet new people. When I’m alone, I find myself talking to a lot of strangers from all over the world. I like talking to the employees, too. On my last trip, I played Slytherin vs. Gryffindor with an employee for a while until I got him to break character and let slip that there are rumors straight from JKR herself of much, much more to come, at least as far as the parks are concerned. What could this mean? There’s a part of me that is hopeful for a Ministry of Magic addition to the park. The employee couldn’t tell me, but it was clear he had heard some things.
Later this year we’re getting the first installment of the Fantastic Beasts trilogy. In talks about the second film a couple of weeks ago, Warner Brothers announced that there is “much more on the horizon”. And that brings me to my theory: I think the WB plans to make the Wizarding World into its very own Star Wars.
We don’t need more Harry Potter stories. Harry’s story was summed up well enough for me in the epilogue to the 7th book when we got a glimpse of the happily-ever-afters of everyone who survived…kind of like how the last Star Wars gave us a nice, succinct summary of what happened to our beloved heroes so we could be at peace and then paved the way for the rest of the world to blossom. Harry’s story, for me and for so many other people, is perfect as is and doesn’t need to be continued via his children. But the Wizarding World is a universe as large as our own and holds the potential for stories from an unlimited number of places and times…much like Star Wars.
After the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, we could get a whole movie about Quidditch. We could get a movie about wizards in ancient Egypt. We could get a medieval-era movie about the founders of Hogwarts. Maybe we could even get a Marauders television series? Whereas casting would be problematic with any new Harry films and could leave fans feeling disgruntled, that wouldn’t be the case with casting new characters in the same universe.
The magic is still very much alive for Harry fans the world over who will eagerly hand over their cash to the WB to keep getting their fix. Hordes of people lined up to watch a play and buy a script that wasn’t even written by JKR, just approved by her. We’re still soaking up every drop of new information she gives us on her website, Pottermore…which brings me to Ilvermorny.
Right around the same time Cursed Child was coming out and Fantastic Beasts was still being worked on…when JKR said she was done with Harry and the WB said they were not done with the Wizarding World…JKR released a brand new story on Pottermore about the American Hogwarts, paired with a sorting quiz so you could find out which American house you would be in. At the very least, I’m betting we get one Ilvermorny film. More likely we’ll get several. The amount of merchandise the WB stands to sell as longtime fans and children just discovering this universe start relating to their American house and seeking out representation in the form of keepsakes with their colors on them is wicked.
I think it’s possible that, like Star Wars, many of us may not live to see the last film from the Wizarding World. And as depressing as that thought is, I would be happy if the WB would just shut up and take my money already.
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