Is this poster actually promoting a new Harry Potter film?

An image shared thousands of times online has been misleadingly presented as the advert for an upcoming Harry Potter film. However, the artwork was created for fun by a graphic designer.

It was posted by a Facebook account called ‘Upcoming Movies’ with the caption: ‘A new Harry Potter Film in the works! Get our movie t-shirt today with free shipping’.

The photo itself has similar features to real Harry Potter movie posters, such as the stylised title, and recognisable elements like Hogwarts school.

Comments beneath the image suggest some users thought it was an authentic promotional poster, although not everyone was convinced. “Yes! I need this”, wrote one person, while another lamented “As if people believe this!”.

There are various signs the poster is not authentic. The words “Robin Verrecas presents” are certainly a giveaway, as Verrecas is not a film director, but a graphic designer. Reuters got in touch with Verrecas, a self-described ‘Graphic Wizard’, who confirmed in an email that he made the image two years ago as a creative concept, not for an upcoming Harry Potter movie.

The image can be found on Verrecas’s profile via Behance, a social media platform that showcases artistic work. The photo is part of a collection that combines artwork from ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, a theatre show and book, with the poster for a film called ‘The 9th Life of Louis Drax’.

In commentary alongside the compilation, Verrecas said he created the image because the movie poster reminded him of Harry Potter artwork. He also remarked “PS: I really hope they will never make this movie”, damaging one Facebook user’s theory that the image was “a pitch” for a sequel.

VERDICT

Missing context. An image created by a graphic designer two years ago is not an official promotional poster for a new Harry Potter film.