The film adaptations of theHarry Potterbooks is one of the more impressive franchise accomplishments of the 21st century, but since they were films, there were always going to be massive sacrifices to fit the books into the runtime. You were bound to lose some unnecessary stuff like Peeves the Poltergeist (a loss I’ve never felt once while watching the movies) as well as more important details like Hermoine starting up S.P.E.W. or the full backstory for Voldemort. Now those subplots may finally make it to the screen.
THRreports that HBO Max is meeting with potential writers to bringHarry Potterto the streamer in some form. Per THR, “have engaged in multiple conversations with potential writers exploring various ideas that would bring the beloved property to television. Sources say broad ideas have been discussed as part of the early-stage exploratory meetings.”
Obviously, that might mean not doing a straight adaptation of the books again (although I think it would be nice to see a consistent vision carried through years while being able to hold onto actors as they age naturally through the roles like they did in the movies). There are plenty of places to go with aHarry Potterseries, but as we’ve learned fromFantastic Beasts, not all Wizarding World ideas are gold.Fantastic Beastshas struggled to figure out its protagonist and purpose, and simply existing in the Wizarding World hasn’t been enough to salvage a weak story.
There’s also the worry aboutJ.K. Rowling’s involvement. She still controls the franchise and has a say over everything that happens in the franchise, and right now she’s a bit of a toxic contributor with not only theFantastic Beastsmovies that have failed to catch fire, but also her repulsive comments against the transgender community. Furthermore, the streaming rights for theHarry Potterfilms are all over the place. AHarry Potterseries would allow HBO Max to have a permanent home forHarry Pottercontent that’s not the poorly receivedFantastic Beastsfilms.
Nevertheless,Harry Potteris an incredibly valuable IP for Warner Bros. when franchises are everything to studios, and an IP only has value if it’s cranking out more content (yes, it’s gross to refer to art this way, but this is how businesses perceive their assets). It will be interesting to see the direction they go with aHarry Potterseries. While a new adaptation seems like the safest bet, especially since it’s been 10 years sinceDeathly Hallows, Part 2and a new generation could get intoHarry Potter, I also wouldn’t be surprised if they try to tell an entirely new story or spinoff that either explores a facet of the Wizarding World beyond the Boy Who Lived.
