We still can’t believe it’s been eight years since the Harry Potter movies concluded with the release of Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Sure, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has kept our appetite for all things magical alive in recent times, but there’s still a part of us pining for more about not just Harry, but the world he lives in too.
In this day and age where the likes of the MCU and DCEU are able to release solo movies about multiple individuals, think how awesome it would be if Harry Potter went down the route of giving us more about certain characters? Here are 10 who we’d love to see take the spotlight in their own blockbuster.
Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort
While Lord Voldemort is dead and gone, a solo movie about the Dark Lord would no doubt be a huge box office hit - especially with villains so popular these days. The prospect of learning more about what Tom Riddle was like during his years at Hogwarts would no doubt appeal, as would filling in the blanks as to how he rose to power before the start of the first wizarding war.
Any movie about He Who Must Not Be Named could also give us scenes that were missing from the original Harry Potter movies, namely those where he met his uncle Morfin, murdered Hepzibah Smith for the Hufflepuff Cup and met Professor Albus Dumbledore over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Make it happen!
Albus Dumbledore
We’re getting some of Albus Dumbledore’s past filled in via the Fantastic Beasts series but there’s still an entire chunk of his story that needs telling on the big screen. That’s right, we’re talking about his childhood and how he went from a young boy to the most powerful wizard in the entire world, bar none.
A movie focusing on his youth could be a bit too dark for some viewers but that’s not to say it shouldn’t happen at all. It would be poignant to see how his family falling apart made him the sorcerer supreme he would eventually become while the idea of seeing both him and Gellert Grindelwald as talented, turbulent teenagers sounds good enough. It would involving recasting him yet again but it would surely rake in audiences on a global scale.
Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody
While the Harry Potter books fleshed out the character of Alastor Moody, both they and the movies still failed to divulge little information about his past. We know it was Igor Karkaroff, the former Death Eater turned Durmstrang Headmaster, who was responsible for a chunk of his nose missing but the rest of his battle-worn appearance still remains a mystery.
Viewers would no doubt relish the chance to see more about how he came to be the paranoid, albeit outstanding wizard we all knew him as. Like, how did he lose his eye? That question alone is why it would be worth making a blockbuster about Moody, perhaps showing him becoming an Auror, how he met Dumbledore and how he became one of the Death Eaters’ most-feared enemies.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Of all the side characters, Kingsley Shacklebolt was arguably the most under-used throughout the original Harry Potter movies. The auror had significantly more depth to him in the book, becoming the muggle Prime Minister’s assistant and succeeding Pius Thicknesse as Minister for Magic in the aftermath of Voldemort’s defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts.
But we saw neither of those things on screen, must to the disappointment of some fans. Precious little is known about how the magical world coped in the immediate aftermath of Voldemort’s death and, by focusing a movie on Kingsley, it would allow us to learn more about how everybody responded to the death of the Dark Lord.
Severus Snape
Yes, there was the flashback scene in Deathly Hallows: Part 2 that filled in the backstory of Severus Snape, showing how he met Lily Potter, fell in love with her and even tried to save her life during the events of the first wizarding war. But that’s not the solo movie we’d want: instead, we’d rather see a blockbuster that shows him working as a double agent.
Snape was a spy, for both sides. But this isn’t sufficiently explained. He originally was a loyal supporter of Voldemort but, upon learning his plan to murder Lily, James Potter and Harry Potter, he switched allegiances. The level of deception involved to do this and not get caught is huge and it would make for a tense and nervy blockbuster were it to ever be made.
Gilderoy Lockhart
Obviously, Gilderoy Lockhart was far from a brilliant wizard. In fact he was anything but, merely claiming credit for the work other wizard and witches, using a memory charm in order to wipe their minds so they wouldn’t ‘blab’ and ruin his reputation as one of the world’s most-bravest and charming individuals.
And wouldn’t it be great to see that on the big screen? To see how Lockhart, with his dashing smile and wavy blonde hair, was able to befriend and then betray people across the globe. It may even add a sympathetic edge to his character, who very few sympathised with when he lost his own memories after his spell backfired courtesy of Ron Weasley’s broken wand in the second movie of the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Barty Crouch Jr
As a youngster, Barty Crouch Jr had it all. His father, who shares his name, was a Ministry high-flyer who appeared destined to become Minister, with many tipping him to take the role. And Crouch Sr probably would have as well if his son hadn’t been unmasked as a Death Eater and sentenced to time in Azkaban for the tortures of auror’s Frank and Alice Longbottom.
And so much was left out regarding Crouch Jr’s backstory in the Harry Potter movies. Even the books didn’t really explain why he chose to back Lord Voldemort over the muggle community, while revelations regarding his mother’s sacrifice, his imprisonment at the hands of his father, his relationship with Winky the House Elf and his ability to secure freedom again were all missing - and why we want more.
Viktor Krum
While the Harry Potter movies’ interpretation of Victor Krum had him as a non-speaking sort of character, there’s still scope for a blockbuster involving the Durmstrang student. Yes, we’re talking about how he was able to become the best seeker in the world at the age of just seventeen and how he became the face of the Quidditch world during the events of the Goblet of Fire.
A Quidditch movie sounds amazing and Krum would certainly have to be the protagonist. It could be like a biopic, telling of how he trained for hours as a youngster, how the tough nature of Durmstrang shaped his character and what he actually thought about the fame he acquired. It could end by showing us his capture of the snitch in the World Cup final, something that was bizarrely left out of the fourth film in the series.
Remus Lupin
While we’d be game for an entire movie dedicated to the Marauders, there are two of the four members who stand out head and shoulders above the rest. James Potter had a relatively normal upbringing, while the story of Peter Pettigrew’s betrayal was told well on screen. We’d love to see a blockbuster about Remus Lupin, though.
It could tell the story of Lupin becoming a werewolf, struggling to cope with his ailment. And it could lead into how three of his friends - James, Peter and Sirius Black - all became Animagi. A detail that was, rather bizarrely, actually never explained on screen during the original Harry Potter films.
Sirius Black
And the other Marauder we’d love to see a movie on is Sirius Black. There’s just so much content that could be successfully transmitted from the books to the silver screen. His family all loathed him, with his mother attempting to erase his face from the family tapestry due to his pro-Gryffindor stance. Then there’s the tale of his time at Hogwarts. And then, lastly, there’s his imprisonment in Azkaban and subsequent escape.
The most-popular idea for a movie centred around Sirius would be about the night Peter betrayed the Potters, having convinced his old friend to be Secret Keeper. It would be a stirring film that shows Sirius’ shock and horror as he realises his old Hogwarts ally was actually working for Lord Voldemort, and the showdown between him and Peter near the end would make for stellar viewing.
