No, Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord is not a real movie

Another day, another fake poster for a movie on Facebook that fans think is real.

This time, it's for a "new" Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord." According to a report from The Direct, the poster was shared via a Horror Movies page on Sept. 4. Since then, the poster, which shows Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter from one of the Harry Potter movies facing off against a very odd looking Lord Voldemort. Honestly, I can't tell if it's Ralph Fiennes or not.

Personally, I don't think the poster looks very real, but it's enough to trick fans who are probably very interested in whatever the next iteration of the Harry Potter franchise is going to be. More on that in a minute!

Google AI Overview gets confused about Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord

I'm positive that this is contributing to the spread of misinformation, as well. If you search "Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord release" in Google, it's AI Overview gets Return of the Dark, a Harry Potter fanmade film from Vulture Works in Turkey, confused with "Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord."

The AI Overview states "Return of the Dark was released in the United States on July 7, 2023." That is true. The Harry Potter fan film is not associated with the real Harry Potter movies in any way, but Google AI seems to not understand that.

In addition, the AI Overview also follows up with this:

"There is also a new Harry Potter series in development that is expected to be released in 2026. The series will be a decade-long adaptation of the stories from J.K. Rowling's books. Filming is expected to take place in the UK in 2025-26. Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who worked on Succession, will serve as writer and director, respectively"

Instead of giving accurate information that "Harry Potter: Return of the Dark Lord" is not real at all, the Google AI Overview sure makes it seem like that movie was released on July 7, 2023, and it makes it seem like it's actually part of the Wizarding World and connected to the Harry Potter franchise. Again, it is not.

There is only one Harry Potter project officially in the works right now

Behind the scenes, there is probably other variations of Harry Potter TV and film projects in the works, but publicly, the Harry Potter TV series coming to HBO and MAX in 2026 is that has been confirmed. Fantastic Beasts 4 has not been confirmed.

Francesca Gardiner has signed on the lead the series, which has a 10-year commitment, according HBO CEO Casey Bloys via Deadline.

We don't know a lot about the series yet, but it's confirmed to be an adaptation of the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. It's going to tell the story of Harry Potter before, during, and after his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

An open casting call was just posted earlier this in the UK and Ireland. The Harry Potter series is officially trying to find actors to play Harry, Ron, and Hermione right now. That's big news!

If there's another official Harry Potter TV series or movie in the works, we'll let you know! Until then, stay tuned for more news about the Harry Potter TV series coming to HBO in two years.