A New Harry Potter Movie In 2025? The Convincing Viral Fan Trailer, Explained

Let's get this out of the way: No, there's no new Harry Potter movie coming out in 2025. However, it would seem plenty of people are taken with the idea and now want a new movie based on the popularity of a fan-made trailer for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the play that follows Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) son, who's sorted into Slytherin.

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" could be the next film in the series, but there's nothing announced at the moment. However, a fake trailer is making waves on Facebook, with 14 million views and 135,000 likes. While some people undoubtedly believe the trailer is real, it's pretty easy to see that it's fake. For starters, it mostly consists of clips from previous Harry Potter movies, such as an older Harry seeing off his son, Albus (Arthur Bowen), at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2." There are also clips from other movies featuring Harry Potter actors, such as "The Woman in Black" and "Horns."

Perhaps people simply want to believe another Harry Potter movie is on the horizon, especially after the lackluster reception to "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore." Right now, the only thing officially in the works in the wizarding world is Max's Harry Potter series with an all-new cast. 

The comment section for the viral fan-made Harry Potter trailer consists of a mix of people thinking it's real, people wanting to debunk that it's real, and bots spouting nonsense that are the bane of every Facebook user's existence these days. Individuals believe the video's well-done in how it utilizes certain clips from throughout the franchise, setting up the time-traveling adventure within "Cursed Child," but it remains a mere idea at this point. 

Given how "Cursed Child" is still making waves with Broadway performances and the prominence of legacy sequels in the modern entertainment landscape, the prospect of adapting the play into a film certainly makes sense, although it feels like a long shot. Something like "Cursed Child" would only really work by getting the original cast back together, and many of them have been notably outspoken against Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling for her transphobic rhetoric. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all vocally expressed their support for the transgender community, so it's doubtful they'd want to work with Rowling in any capacity again. Roles could always be recast, but if they're not getting the original actors back together to delight longtime fans, what's the point?

For now, there's no intention on turning "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" into a movie, so everyone will just have to make do with a fake trailer. If a film adaptation ever does get off the ground, perhaps it could utilize a fan theory that clears up a lot of plot holes created by "Cursed Child."