Daniel Radcliffe has shared what he considers one of the worst movie ideas ever given to him, and it involved reuniting the original Harry Potter trio in a very unexpected remake.
Speaking as the latest guest on Hot OnesRadcliffe revealed that during the height of Harry Potter franchise, executives once floated the idea of remaking The Wizard of Oz starring him, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
“One of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard during Potterssomeone came up to us and I think asked as if they were going to cast the three of us, me, Emma and Rupert, in a remake of The Wizard of Ozwhere Emma was Dorothy,” Radcliffe said.
He added that he couldn’t remember which character Grint was supposed to play, but his own role was unforgettable.
“I was like a karate kicking cowardly lion,” he said, explaining that the lion would also inexplicably know martial arts.
Looking back, Radcliffe said he instantly sensed it was a misfire.
“And I remember being 14 or 15 and thinking, ‘I don’t know much about the world, but this is a bad idea and it shouldn’t be made.'”
The project never moved forward, and the trio ultimately never reunited for another feature film outside Harry Potter universe.
Radcliffe, Watson and Grint appeared together in eight Harry Potter films released between 2001 and 2011, a series that defined all three of their early careers.
Their only on-screen reunion since then came in the TV special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwartswhich streamed in January 2022.
For Radcliffe, the abandoned Oz remake remains a memorable example of an idea that even at a young age he knew would never see the light of day.
