‘Harry Potter’, with its lessons on life, loss, love, and of course, magic, has changed the world. This is not a hyperbole, pop culture has been influenced by the immersive phenomenon that was the books written by J.K. Rowling and their subsequent film adaptations. It almost feels unreal to think that more than two decades have gone by since the first novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, was published on June 26, 1997. Today, ‘Harry Potter’ is embedded in the memories, hopes and dreams of most people who have lived through the 21st century.
Rowling’s unparalleled creativity fetched her billions, with millions of copies of her books being sold around the globe. Her success only skyrocketed as her charming wizarding world was brought to life on screen in the form of movies. These were accompanied by video games, merchandise and theme parks, among others. But those are things to do with a fantastical story that endures even after the initial spell weakens. But, change is the only constant, especially in the entertainment realm. Studios can barely keep popular works of art untouched. So now, Potterheads have to brace themselves for a ‘Harry Potter’ TV series, which will release on Max, the new streaming version of HBO Max. Can it uphold the legacy of the books and movies, or will it act like a killing curse against the franchise?
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‘Harry Potter’ Reboot Has To Compete With The Nostalgia Of Movies
The first ‘Harry Potter’ movie was released in 2001, with a young 11-year-old boy discovering that he is a wizard, and embarking on a path to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school that trains children possessing magical powers. The story certainly touched the hearts of those who had and hadn’t read the books. Harry escapes the wretchedness of his cruel uncle, aunt and their son, with the help of the ever-endearing half-giant and half-human character, Hagrid.
Once at Hogwarts, Harry Potter makes friends for life – Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. The wonderful trio is portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. They go on adventures together, while figuring out themselves and making the best of their respective strengths and weaknesses. They also fight evil – the powerful dark wizard, Lord Voldemort.
With many mysterious twists and turns seamlessly threaded together, and an appealing world of magic that included wizards and even muggles (those lacking magical blood), ‘Harry Potter’ drew children and adults alike, for years and years. The last installment of the franchise, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ was released in 2011, but the films are still fresh in our minds and a popular choice for movie marathon nights.
So, this begs the question, what’s the point of a new series? Even if it delves deeper into the books, will the recreated emerge victorious over the nostalgia of the movies? It seems unlikely, for the hardcore Potterverse, for familiar stuff, doesn’t always need reinvention.
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A New Cast Is A Nightmare For ‘Harry Potter’ Fandom
‘Harry Potter’ fans are already dreading having to see their favorite characters being played by new actors. Even if some critics argue whether the core cast of the films was compelling throughout or not, one can’t argue with the fact that they came to their own over time. They grew up, they evolved, and we embraced them, as we ourselves changed in the span of those ten years when the movies were made.
Let alone the trio of Harry, Hermoine and Ron, can you imagine anyone else being as warm and fun as Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid, or could you picture any actor other than Alan Rickman donning the cloak of Professor Severus Snape, or anyone nailing the balance between smirks, smiles and strictness like Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall? The odds tilt towards no, and could even be a disaster.
J.K. Rowling’s Public Image After Transphobic Row Will Affect Viewership
While a ‘Harry Potter’ TV series might seem like a fruitful investment for Warner Bros, menacing darkness already plagues it, brought on by J.K. Rowling’s hugely controversial transphobic views. Many fans have distanced themselves from the franchise precisely because of their support for trans people. So, one could see why the humungous craze of ‘Harry Potter’ has further dwindled in recent years. And, just because a chunk of the audience separates the author’s personal comments and accepts her previous works, it doesn’t mean they are ready to consume more, especially something which is just a retelling of the source material.
Surely, there would be interest regarding the new adaptation. And if you are wondering if any of the original cast members will make an appearance, it seems unlikely as many of them have distanced themselves from J.K. Rowling over her trans rights statements, including the central three characters.
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The Target Audience Conundrum Of The TV Series
The new TV show has been planned for seven seasons, with each one dedicated to a book in the series. As per the reaction to the announcement, it’s clear that fans are happy. In fact, they are constantly condemning the decision on social media. Amidst all this criticism, we wonder who is supposed to watch the show.
Yes, curiosity about new elements and improved visuals might bring the existing fanbase to the screen, if they haven’t already boycotted it, but a comparison to the movies might affect their will to continue. It’s a mammoth task for the makers of the show to live up to the films. As for new viewers, they might catch on to the magical world, but will they be enough? Figuring out the screenplay to suit the taste of today’s fickle audience will be tricky.
This reminds us of Amazon’s ambitious ‘Lord of the Rings’ series ‘The Rings of Power’. It seemed like a no-brainer to them since the franchise is immensely popular. They even put in $1 billion in its production. But rivaled by another fantasy show ‘House of the Dragon’ from the ‘Game of Thrones’ realm, the response for ‘The Rings of Power’ was average at best. A similar fate has befallen all the ‘Star Wars’ series. Some have worked, others didn’t fly, forget about soaring high.
Lessons From The Failure Of ‘Fantastic Beasts’
Warner Bros bankrolled ‘Fantastic Beasts’, a spin-off franchise piggybacking on the popularity of ‘Harry Potter’ movies. But, they didn’t quite make a mark as the real deal despite being led by Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. The films earned and attracted footfall to the theatres, but they came nowhere close to the eight ‘Harry Potter’ films. Many only wanted to relive the glory of the original films, and the spin-off was sidelined.
The failure of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ can also be attributed to the controversies attached to cast members Johnny Depp and Ezra Miller. So, while five films were planned in the movie series, Warner Bros shut it down after just three.
So, even if the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series is currently the chosen one, who knows if it’s destined to be a cursed child and abandoned midway? Time will tell.
‘Harry Potter’ Reboot’s Saving Grace: Allegiance To Books And Modern Times
It’s true there are many arguments as to why the TV series should be avoided, but the optimists out there, who truly believe Professor Albus Dumbledore’s wise words that “happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light,” will look for the good in the new project which many have already declared ‘doomed’.
They are hoping that the show will stay true to the books and do more justice to them than the movies, which had to cut out certain things or modify them. The little intricacies covered episode by episode will not go unnoticed by ardent readers of J.K. Rowling’s books.
Some fans are also hoping the show to address and do a course correction in relation to the lack of racial and queer diversity in the books and movies.
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Redemption Opportunity For Missing Plotlines And Under-Developed Characters
The biggest hope for ‘Harry Potter’ reboot is that it will extensively cover the story’s details. For example, the movies failed to convince the audience of the intellect of Ron, or his relationship with Hermoine. Ron’s sister Ginny was also unimpressive on screen, while she developed a terrific personality and became a great witch in the books. Hence, Harry fell for her. But even that plotline was strange as it wasn’t built up properly in the films. There was also too little of one of the most striking characters, Sirius Black, on the screen till now. However, the best thing would be to see Voldemort’s backstory as described in books.
So, while the series aims to piggyback on the enthralling magic of the movies, it might deserve a chance to offer something that was missing all along. Even the 2023 action role-playing game Hogwarts Legacy worked well.
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So, Is A New ‘Harry Potter’ Adaptation Worth The Risk?
The timing for a new age of ‘Harry Potter’ might be opportune right now. It was on January 1, 2022, that the reunion special titled ‘Harry Potter 20th anniversary: Return to Hogwarts’ was released on HBO Max. It took fans on an emotional ride and evoked those myriad exciting feelings one once had for the books and movies. Although J.K. Rowling was absent from the special, she is involved in the new project. This is a huge sore spot for many viewers.
Nevertheless, the genius of Rowling can’t be denied, and ‘Harry Potter’ will never fade from our memories. We just have to figure out if we have space for more. We leave you with a quote by Albus Dumbledore, wherein he spoke about “truth”, but we think it also determines the destiny of the TV series: “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.” Yes, caution, that’s the most important ingredient for another ‘Harry Potter’ spell to work.
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