Daniel Radcliffe Reflects on a ‘Wizard of Oz’ Remake Idea for the Harry Potter Cast: “I Didn’t Think It Was a Good Idea”
Daniel Radcliffe, known for his iconic role in the Harry Potter series, continues to explore diverse and sometimes eccentric projects in his acting career. However, he recently revealed that one particular pitch he received during his time with the franchise stands out as “one of the worst” he has encountered.
During an appearance on Hot Ones in anticipation of his return to Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing and the upcoming comedy The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins, Radcliffe recounted a surreal proposal he received for a Wizard of Oz remake featuring the original Harry Potter trio. He stated, “During Potter, somebody came to us and, I think, asked — like they wanted to cast all three of us — me, Emma [Watson] and Rupert [Grint] — in a remake of Wizard of Oz, where Emma was Dorothy, I can’t remember what Rupert was and I just remember I was going to be the lion, but also, he knew karate. I was like a karate-kicking Cowardly Lion.”
Reflecting on the suggestion, Radcliffe noted, “I was like 14 or 15, and I was like, ‘I don’t know a lot about the world, but this is a bad idea. This should not be made.’”
Most recently, Radcliffe appeared in Sony Pictures Classics’ December release of Merrily We Roll Along, a live-filmed version of the acclaimed musical that also starred Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.
As the production of a new Harry Potter reboot series gets underway, Radcliffe has expressed his support for the new cast, particularly actor Dominic McLaughlin. He reached out with a letter, stating he did not “want to be a specter in the life of these children,” and encouraged McLaughlin by saying, “‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time.’”
