A ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Is in the Works for HBO Max and My Only Question Is Why??
I'm begging Hollywood to have one original idea. JUST ONE!
The never-ending cycle of reboots and remakes does not show signs of stopping. With the recent announcement of a live-action remake of the Disney film Moana, people across the internet vented their frustrations about Hollywood’s refusal to do anything different and new when it comes to movies/TV shows. And this frustration only grew when it was announced that Warner Bros. is nearing a deal for a new Harry Potter TV series slated to premiere on HBO Max.
According to a report from Bloomberg, each season will be “based on one of J.K. Rowling’s seven books” and “allow the writers to delve further into the world of [the] books, many of which are longer than 500 pages.” As Rowling herself has total creative control of the Harry Potter brand, she needs to sign off on the TV series (which has yet to do as of this moment) and will have some involvement with the project. However, Rowling will only “be involved in the series to ensure it remains loyal to her original material but will not run the show day to day or serve as its primary creator.”
Now, I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t like the Harry Potter books and movies. Though Rowling has outed herself as a transphobic bully who loves to spend her worrying about trans and queer people just trying to live their lives in peace, the media she (unfortunately) had a hand in stills holds a small special place in my heart. I grew up with Harry Potter. It was the first chapter book I ever read and the first midnight screening I ever attended. Though I do not consume any new Harry Potter content because I can’t support Rowling, I do revisit the old books and movies from time to time.
So, as someone who has read these books a million times and still loves them to this day, I can confidently say that this reboot of one of the most iconic franchises in history is such a colossal mistake. The books have already been adapted into timeless movies that still hold up even 20 years later. The characters were brought to life by some of the most talented actors and will always be associated with them. Though the movies did leave a lot of plot points out, it’s not enough to justify creating seven seasons of television just to make up for it. This show would just rehash the same story beats we’ve all seen a thousand times and try to recreate the magic of a series that already has it cemented.
After the failure of the Fantastic Beasts series, I think it’s a huge gamble for Warner Bros. to try to reboot anything Harry Potter related. But, I get it—they like money and Harry Potter will make them that money. But it’s not a sustainable business model. Hogwarts Legacy was the number one game for a few weeks, but now has seen a record amount of players completely abandon it. Plus, it doesn’t help that Rowling is a bigot that no one, especially not the original cast, wants to be around, so it’s not like Warner Bros. can bank on any nostalgia points. They’re basically throwing money into a pit hoping to yield gold. It would be sad if it wasn’t so obviously a cash grab.
So, good luck to Warner Bros. on their fruitless endeavor. They’re definitely going to need magic to pull this off.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
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