Credit: Warner Bros.A brand-new Harry Potter prequel this way comes?
There’s even more uncertainty in the Wizarding World these days than there was this time last year. Following the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) in April last year, things started to look pretty grim for the franchise.
The third entry in the spinoff series was as critically and financially underwhelming as its predecessor, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). But the films weren’t entirely to blame for the franchise’s problems.
Johnny Depp and Ezra Miller were each at the heart of their own scandal, while JK Rowling was busy stirring her own cauldron on X/Twitter.
Related: Tom Felton Returns to Play New Character in the Wizarding World
The release of the open-world video game Hogwarts Legacy (2022), however, brought some promise, even if it was mired in controversy due to its (loose) affiliations with the controversial author.
Around the same time, it was confirmed by Warner Bros. that a Harry Potter reboot is in the works in the form of a television series.
Not everyone is happy that the Wizarding World is going under the knife, but at least the franchise is starting to find its feet again. Warner Bros. also confirmed that there’s more to come, including another video game, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (TBA).
Related: All 10 ‘Harry Potter’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Meanwhile, a couple of rumored projects are awaiting confirmation from Warner Bros. One is the film adaptation of the West End production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016), and the other is the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy.
While it isn’t directly canon with the films or the books, Hogwarts Legacy still serves as a prequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as the three Fantastic Beasts films.
Related: Hermione Granger’s Recasting In HBO Reboot Could Spark Outrage Among Fans
Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the late 1800s, long before Harry ever steps foot inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or before Newt Scamander loses all those magical creatures in New York City in the 1920s.
However, there are several characters from the books/films, including Peeves the Ghost, the Sorting Hat, and Nearly Headless Nick.
While it remains to be seen whether Hogwarts Legacy 2 will happen (although there’s no reason to think it won’t given the fact it has sold 15 million copies worldwide so far), the odds are that it will make some sort of leap forward in time, however big or small.
Related: ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ Prequel: Which ‘Harry Potter’ Actors Have Returned?
While it’s unlikely to infringe on the Fantastic Beasts timeline, which starts with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) during the 1920s, Hogwarts Legacy 2 could also be a clever way to “erase” those films from canon.
While they’re hardly in the same league as the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy when it comes to fans’ hatred, there’s no doubt that many would prefer to see them de-canonized. Who knows — maybe the upcoming reboot will adopt the three prequels as their own.
Either way, if Hogwarts Legacy 2 does happen, it seems the Wizarding World will commit to moving forward with a new prequel series, which would make up yet another timeline for the franchise.
Recently, Cursed Child announced its new cast.
Check out the official cinematic trailer for Hogwarts Legacy below:
Related: Harry Potter Could Be Played by a Non-White Actor in the Upcoming HBO Reboot
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).
Related: Is a ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Movie In the Works?!
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: HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Could Finally Embrace Dumbledore’s Sexuality
Hogwarts Legacy is available now. There’s no release date for Quidditch Champions.
Do you think Hogwarts Legacy 2 will take place before Fantastic Beasts? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!