Why We Don’t Need Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

By Anthony Parody

Okay, first things first, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. Always have been, always will be. I am a huge fan of the books (I read them every summer) and of the movies. I grew up waiting for the films to come out and waited anxiously for the books to be published. I was dreading the moment Harry Potter would come to an end but nevertheless, I was beyond excited to find out how the story would end and when Deathly Hallows was published, it was the perfect ending to the best novel series I have read.

But when news broke out that Harry Potter was returning on the stage, I felt disheartened and then J.K.Rowling announced that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would be published but not as a novel, but just the script. Why tarnish the legacy Harry Potter has?

Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to see what J.K.Rowling has come up with. This woman is a genius who captivated so many people all around the world. I belong to the Harry Potter generation. Anything J.K.Rowling publishes (I read The Casual Vacancy purely because she wrote it) or is connected to will automatically get my attention and just about every Harry Potter fan out there.

However, let’s be honest, do we really need Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? My answer is no and here are my reasons.

1. It’s not a novel but the script: This for me is definitely one of the reasons who publishing this new adventure is why we don’t need it. If J.K.Rowling had said that she was publishing the stage show as a novel, I would be more excited but because it is said to be just the script, it’s almost like the magic from the novels is gone.
2. It could tarnish the series we love: Think about it, look at what the Star Wars prequels did to the original trilogy. Yes, The Force Awakens has redeemed the Star Wars Saga but it suffers from the same problem Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will suffer. When is it enough? Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi had the perfect ending as did the Deathly Hallows, J.K.Rowling had stated many times that she had planned Harry Potter as seven novels, which leads to my second point…
3. We already got the perfect ending: the Harry Potter books had direction. We had complete faith in J.K.Rowling because she knew exactly what she was doing. We have seen too many times, how without direction a story can get boring and confusing e.g. anyone here remember the TV show Lost. The first three Harry Potter books laid the perfect foundation for the series before Lord Voldemort’s return in The Goblet of Fire. From Book Four forwards, it was all about the anticipation to the last book. Who will survive? What will happen? We got every answer we needed and furthermore, J.K.Rowling even revealed years later what had come of our characters, so anyone else convinced that this is a mistake?

Whether or not you’re excited for this new addition in the Harry Potter series, one thing is clear, you will read it and judge it. Same goes for the new film series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, every Harry Potter fan will go to see these new movies purely because we are so captivated by this world. The question remains of whether or not this new Harry Potter addition will be a success and if it is what will J.K.Rowling’s next step be? More Harry Potter books? I guess we will just have to wait and see.