Credit: Warner Bros.It was recently reported that several brand-new The Lord of the Rings films are in the works. But what could this mean for franchises like Harry Potter? Following months of rumors of a Wizarding World “reset”, is Warner Bros. preparing to make a similar announcement? Will they finally announce plans for a series of new Harry Potter films?
Despite the fact that JRR Tolkien’s beloved Middle-Earth was recently given the streaming service-treatment in the form of reboot-series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), which is one of the most expensive television shows ever made, it looks like New Line Cinema is now planning to continue with the main canonical series of films.
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Meanwhile, no one really knows what’s going on behind the scenes over in the Wizarding World. While open-world video game Hogwarts Legacy (2023) has been causing quite a storm (in a good way and a bad way), the future of Harry Potter films is a bit up in the air. But one thing’s for sure — Warner Bros. won’t be resting on their laurels for too long.
A Fantastic Beasts sequel is very unlikely, and though rumors of a live-action reboot of West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) persist, it’s probably not going to happen. In fact, there’s a bigger chance of Warner Bros. announcing a new series of Harry Potter films that has nothing to do with either of those things whatsoever.
Related: Will Warner Bros. Use the Upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ Prequel to Reset the Franchise?
It’s fair to say that The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are a bit like Star Wars and Star Trek, or Marvel and DC. While of course you have the right to love both franchises, they’re often compared to one another, because they feature everything from magic to mythical creatures. They both also rose to popularity around the same time, between 2001 and 2003.
Perhaps then it’s time for more The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films to dominate movie theaters once again. After all, everyone’s getting a little tired of the superhero genre!
Check out the official cinematic trailer for Hogwarts Legacy below:
Hogwarts Legacy serves as a loose prequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Michael Gambon in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 (2011).
Along with Simon Pegg (Phineas Nigellus Black) and Luke Youngblood (Everett Clopton), other Hogwarts Legacy actors are Sebastian Croft and Amelia Gething (the main character/Fifth Year student), Lesley Nicol (Deputy Head Professor Matilda Weasley), Kandace Caine (Divination Professor Onai), Sohm Kapila (Astronomy Professor Satyavati Shah), Asif Ali (Ravenclaw student Mahendra Pehlwaan), and Jason Anthony (Nearly Headless Nick and the Sorting Hat).
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As per the official Hogwarts Legacy website, here’s the synopsis for the game:
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Star Discusses Reboot and Recasting as Wizarding World Collapses
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Hogwarts Legacy are on sale now. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC versions will be released on February 10, while the Nintendo Switch version will be released on July 25.
Do you think Warner Bros. will announce a new series of Harry Potter films? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!