A new “Harry Potter”? It’s no joke. According to rumors, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is preparing to make a deal to create a completely new adaptation of the story of the Boy Who Lived. Will it be a radically fresh interpretation or a slightly modified literary source? We will find out when we get a little more information, and for now, we analyze all the pros and cons.
What’s the talk about?
There will be a total of seven seasons of the new “Harry Potter” – one for each book. And here’s the most important thing: Joanne Rowling is also expected to be involved in the project as a producer, so we can hope for the series to stay true to the canon. On the other hand, the writer is also listed as a co-author of the controversial “Cursed Child,” so it’s worth keeping a certain level of skepticism.
So why should we look forward to this show?
- A new perspective on an old story
The Harry Potter movies were made relatively long ago – the first one was released in 2001, 23 years ago (all reviews here). They definitely need a modern perspective. For example, Joanne Rowling banned actors who are not from Britain from being hired. The films lacked diversity, and a new adaptation can provide it.
- Closure of plot holes
No matter how long a movie may be, it cannot squeeze in all the content from a book – this resulted in many discrepancies and illogical moments in the Harry Potter movies. The wizarding world is so vast and all-encompassing that it requires much more time than two hours to be conveyed. The format of one book equals one season allows for an in-depth portrayal of this world.
- Making up for lost opportunities
Do you know who Peeves is? If you haven’t read the books and only watched the movies, you probably haven’t heard of this charismatic (and very annoying) poltergeist. What happened to Percy Weasley, why were Ginny and Harry’s relationship not as bad as portrayed, and what happened at the party for Nearly Headless Nick’s 500th deathday celebration? This list could be endless – and the runtime of a TV series can accommodate all these interesting details that are only known to readers of the books.
Why not to make a series?
- There are already movies
Despite the fact that the Harry Potter movies had different directors – some did their work slightly worse than others, and some were much better, for example, Alfonso Cuarón – fans all over the world love the eight parts of the Boy Who Lived. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are closely associated with their roles as Harry, Hermione, and Ron, so a new adaptation may provoke the negative reaction of fans. Nevertheless, nothing prevents people from re-watching the movies and not watching the new series. However, comparisons are inevitable.
- Everyone is waiting for the story of the Marauders
This is really a sore spot for most Harry Potter fans. We already have an adaptation of the Harry Potter story, and even movies about Newt Scamander. So why hasn’t anyone tackled the Marauder era before? It’s a great opportunity to expand the cinematic universe and let screenwriters’ imagination run wild, but James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter remain heroes with a minimum amount of screen time.
- Scandals with Joanne Rowling
Many Harry Potter fans stopped being fans due to the numerous scandals involving the author of the book series. So her participation in the TV series may provoke a sharply negative reaction from fans. On the other hand, the popularity of the recently released game Hogwarts Legacy showed that even negative social media reactions won’t stop fans from consuming new content.