'This is a Bad Idea': Harry Potter Movie Trio Were Pitched a Wizard of Oz Adaptation With Emma Watson as Dorothy and Daniel Radcliffe as the Cowardly Lion

Harry Potter movie prima Daniel Radcliffe has revealed helium was erstwhile pitched a bizarre Wizard of Oz adaptation that besides featured his chap Hogwarts co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

Describing it arsenic "one of the worst ideas I've ever heard," the program had seemingly been for the Harry Potter trio to reunite successful a caller mentation of the classical story, for which Emma Watson would person played Kansas miss Dorothy.

Speaking via the Hot Ones show, Radcliffe said the connection came successful portion the trio were inactive making the Harry Potter movies, erstwhile helium was aged either 14 oregon 15. Even then, though, Radcliffe said helium was instantly alert that this was "a atrocious idea."

"One of the worst ideas I've ever heard, during Potter, idiosyncratic came to america and I deliberation asked... similar they wanted to formed each 3 of us, me, Emma and Rupert, successful a remake of Wizard of Oz," Radcliffe revealed. "Emma was Dorothy, I can't retrieve what Rupert was, and I conscionable retrieve that I was going to beryllium the lion, but besides helium knew karate?

"I was similar a karate kicking cowardly lion," helium continued. "And I retrieve I was similar 14 oregon 15, and I was like, 'I don't cognize a batch astir the world, but this is simply a atrocious idea, this should not beryllium made."

For context, the timeline present would spot Radcliffe and his co-stars arsenic filming the 4th Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire. So, had the Wizard of Oz remake progressed, the trio would inactive person been reasonably young — though not excessively dissimilar to the property of 16-year-old Judy Garland successful the story's classical 1939 adaptation.

Numerous Wizard of Oz adaptations person surfaced implicit the years, including assorted spin-offs, prequels and sequels. These see the 2013 Sam Raimi-directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which starred James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis, and of people the two-part Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Earlier this week, Radcliffe discussed HBO's upcoming caller adaptation of Harry Potter, and issued a plea for the series' caller young formed to beryllium allowed to get connected with their enactment without the archetypal movies' formed becoming "spectral phantoms" successful their lives. Maybe clasp disconnected from offering them a caller Wizard of Oz adaptation, too?

Image credit: Scott Gries/NBC via Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social