Photo Credit: Scholastic

It was probably inevitable that once Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hit the stage in London that the rumors about it becoming a feature film would follow. The most recent rumors, however, didn’t just see Warner Bros. making a movie, but courting Daniel Radcliffe to portray that familiar title role. With fans and journalists so enchanted by the rumor, the studio has been forced to issue a statement.

After the Huffington Post circulated a story about the rumor and reached out to the studio for a comment, they received a statement reading, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play, with no plans for there to be a film,” which puts the nail in the rumor coffin - at least at first glance.

Harry Potter is a massive money-making franchise for Warner Bros. While they might not have film plans now, and they might not actively be pursuing any of the original cast members to reprise their roles, that doesn’t mean they won’t down the line. Quite frankly, it would be more shocking if, ten years from now, there wasn’t a Cursed Child on the big screen, than if they just left the play alone.

The truth is that Warner Bros. is currently making a pretty penny off of merchandising, theme park rights, and a spin off film on the way. They don’t need to worry about developing another movie franchise just yet. There might not be plans, but you can bet there’s an executive somewhere in his or her office wondering how many movies they can get out of the next generation of Potters and Weasleys, or if a television series should be next on the horizon.

Never say never.

The next story set in the world of Harry Potter is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, out this November. Two sequels, which JK Rowling has already begun working on, will follow.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child can currently be seen on the stage in London, England, but there has been talk of the stage show expanding to other countries.