Voldemort Fan Film: Real, But Definitely Not Official

by · June 2, 2017

Harry Potter fans have been inundated over the last week with media coverage of the fan film Voldemort: Origin of the Heir. The fans behind the film had reported that they had the blessing of Warner Bros. to go forward with the film, and the teaser trailer soon went viral. Take a look at the trailer below.

 

 

However, MuggleNet has dealt closely with Warner Bros. through the decades, and we were curious as to why, if the project was given the green light, we had not had any official statement. MuggleNet reached out to Warner Bros., and shortly after, the website behind the fan film changed the verbiage on their website regarding the approval from Warner Bros. to a disclaimer:

THIS FILM IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN FILM MADE BY FANS FOR FANS AND IS NOT ENDORSED BY, AFFILIATED WITH OR ASSOCIATED WITH WARNER BROS. OR J.K. ROWLING.

A representative for Warner Bros. sent us the following statement in regard to our inquiry.

Official Comment from Warner Bros. on Voldemort Fan Film

A Warner Bros. spokesperson said:

"This fan film project is not endorsed by or affiliated with Warner Bros. at all. We are generally supportive of non-commercial fan activity relating to Harry Potter, whilst taking steps to preserve the integrity of these much-loved stories. That’s why we contacted the makers of this film, to ensure that they work within appropriate parameters and that it is clearly identifiable as a fan created film."

Many fan films have been attempted over the years, all of which have requested funds from fans to produce and release the product to the public. None of these works has ever been endorsed by either J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros., which is why MuggleNet went straight to the source for the information on the possibility of this fan film being given the go-ahead, as reported by multiple outlets.

J.K. Rowling has proven over the last few years that she is in no way done with the wizarding world, having been involved in the creation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well as writing the first two screenplays for the Fantastic Beasts films. It only makes sense that if an origin story surrounding Voldemort were written, Rowling would surely be involved.

Let us know what you think about the response from Warner Bros., and tell us which origin story you’d most like to see on film from Rowling!