The Wizarding World Expands: Latest Update On The Harry Potter TV Series
Whenever October rolls around, Harry Potter recirculates in pop culture circles. The fandom is constantly evolving with a theme park, Broadway production, video games, and a spin-off series.
For those heavily involved in the fandom side of Harry Potter, surely you’ve heard about the Marauders side of the fandom.
However, what no one expected was to see a brand new Harry Potter back on their screens.
While rumors of a reboot circulated in the media, last year at Max’s streaming event, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed the new show.
The project is still in the early stages of development, but here’s what we know.
The show will be written by Francesca Gardiner and directed by Mark Mylod, who some might remember from their work on Succession.
Fans should rest assured the series will be faithful to the source material. The show is set to have ten seasons, contradicting the supposed seven seasons for seven books.
While this contradicts the idea of one season for every book, this has excited many fans because, like most book adaptations, the movies leaves out some defining details. An example is the detailed backstory on Voldemort provided in the books but left out of the movies.
This also brings the opportunity to bring seamless and proper diversity and representation to the franchise, but considering J.K. Rowling’s involvement in the show and her controversial nature, many feel conflicted with the series due to her involvement.
The series aims to give a fresh start and bring new young actors into the fold, and as of September 9, Warner Bros. Discovery is searching for their new Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. The official Harry Potter Instagram account posted a UK and Ireland open casting call to find the new wizards of the magic world.
A question that’s probably on many minds is whether any original actors will be in the new rendition. However, the answer is inconclusive; some have already pronounced they will not take part in the reboot, and if any do, it probably won’t be in any major roles.
With excitement comes criticism, and there are many flavors of it. Some argue that the show will not be able to capture the magic and mastery of the movies. Others say it is nothing more than a cash grab lacking creativity for just recreating an existing piece of media.
A common remark is that the series should focus on different aspects of the Harry Potter franchise, such as a show about Harry’s parents and their friends following the first Wizarding War.
Despite the mix of skepticism and optimism for the new series, the Harry Potter reboot has everyone at the edge of their seats, waiting to see how Harry and his friends fare against the perils of the magical world.
