Chris Columbus Swipes at Harry Potter and Home Alone Reboots: “Everybody Is Remaking Everything”

Chris Columbus doesn’t see the magic in remaking or rebooting Harry Potter and Home Alone. Columbus, who directed the original Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York before bringing to life the first two chapters of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter saga, says there’s “no point” in remaking the classics that spawned blockbuster franchises. In a new interview commemorating the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone this month, Jake’s Takes asked Columbus if a Harry Potter reboot will happen — and if a remake should happen:

“I can’t answer the first… I don’t know. In this version of Hollywood that we live in, everybody is remaking everything and rebooting everything. I mean, there’s a Home Alone reboot coming out,” Columbus said of the upcoming Disney+ original movie Home Sweet Home Alone, a Disney-Fox re-imagining of the 1990 holiday hit that starred Macaulay Culkin. 

“What’s the point? The movie exists, let’s just live with the movie that existed,” the Home Alone director said. “There’s no point in us remaking The Wizard of Oz, there’s no point in any of us remaking the classic films. Make something original, because we need more original material. So, no point.”

In a separate interview, Columbus said it’s a “small fantasy” to instead adapt the stage play The Cursed Child as a direct sequel to 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Columbus’ dream film adaptation of the play, scripted by Jack Thorne from an original story co-authored by Rowling, could reunite original eight-time Harry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, now all in their early 30s. 

“I would love to direct The Cursed Child,” Columbus told Variety when asked if Warner Bros. might ever follow its spinoff Fantastic Beasts franchise with more Harry Potter movies. “It’s a great play and the kids are actually the right age to play those roles. It’s a small fantasy of mine.”

In March, WarnerMedia brass said there’s “lots of fun and potential” still to explore with the Wizarding World franchise, potentially on the HBO Max streaming service. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are currently streaming on HBO Max. Home Alone and Home Alone 2 are streaming on Disney+.