Will a "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" film starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint ever happen? Don't hold your breath, director Chris Columbus says.
Columbus, who directed the first two movies in the "Harry Potter" franchise, has previously expressed interest in turning the "Cursed Child" stage play into a film that would bring back the original cast. But in a new interview with The Sunday Times published on Saturday, Aug. 30, the filmmaker said this is no longer possible due to author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans controversy.
"It's never going to happen," he said. "It's gotten so complicated with all the political stuff. Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible."
Columbus added, "I haven't spoken to Miss Rowling in a decade or so, so I have no idea what's going on with her, but I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago. I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast."
Rowling, the author of the "Harry Potter" books, has become a divisive figure in recent years due to her anti-trans views. In April, she again drew backlash when she celebrated a U.K. Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman refers to biological sex under equality legislation.
