Credit: Inside the MagicHBO’s Harry Potter reboot is really happening. But if Warner Bros. was hoping that news of a reboot would remedy some of the damage done to the Wizarding World in recent years, well, they were wrong…
After the last couple of Fantastic Beasts films failed to impress both critically and financially, it was only a matter of time before Warner Bros. decided to move forward in a different direction with the Harry Potter franchise. And though there were many routes they could have taken, no one ever thought an actual reboot would be one of them.
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Rumors of a reboot have plagued the Internet for the past year, but deep down, that’s all we ever really thought they were — rumors and nothing more, something to pass the time until Warner Bros. announced a new series of spin-off films, despite how dead and buried we knew the Fantastic Beasts film series to be.
And then came Hogwarts Legacy (2023), the open-world game that allows fans to forge their own Wizarding World adventure. For a while, we thought this might be the long-rumored “reboot”; a way of Warner Bros. handing some creative control over to the fans while they scoured the Ministry of Magic for a prophecy to see where the future lies for Harry Potter in film.
Related: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Star Confirms Series Is Dead In the Water, as New Prequel Takes Its Place
Well, it didn’t take them very long, because now we know — there is no future for Harry Potter in film, because a brand-new television series that’s heading to HBO Max will ignore the films completely and start anew; a seven-season series, with each season focusing on one book, a “decade-long, faithful adaptation”, which will, of course, require a complete recasting (which will also divide the fanbase in half when it’s eventually announced).
Meanwhile, and rather confusingly, there are rumors the original cast from the films are on board to reprise their roles in a ninth film — could this be the long-rumored Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) adaptation? We’ll just have to wait and see, but right now, we can’t look past HBO’s Harry Potter series.
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News that Wizarding World creator JK Rowling will serve as executive producer on the show also hasn’t gone down well with fans, with many feeling that Warner Bros. has chosen to ignore all the controversy surrounding the famed author. And you can bet your bottom Galleon that this is the beginning of even more online discourse within the fanbase, following the explosive online war that overshadowed the release of Hogwarts Legacy.
On Wednesday, JK Rowling shared the following statement via Twitter account The Rowling Library, in which she promises “a degree of depth” in the show the films couldn’t explore, which is sure to appease many fans. Despite how widely celebrated the eight Harry Potter films are, it’s no mystery that they omit many elements from the books:
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.”
J.K. Rowling on the new Harry Potter TV series that will adapt the seven novels: pic.twitter.com/zjclkn4MiY
— The Rowling Library (@rowlinglibrary) April 12, 2023
However, yesterday, HBO Max shared the first teaser for the “original” series, which has also left many fans scratching their heads. Check it out below:
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We think you’ll agree that this teaser is incredibly lazy. In fact, you could call it a huge fail. Sure, the floating candles transforming into the title is pretty magical, but the same score by John Williams? Footage of the castle from the films? And the same Harry Potter font? Just how “original” is this new series going to be?
You’re not off to a great start, Warner Bros. and HBO. But, of course, we aren’t the only ones to have noticed this problem, as Harry Potter fans have flocked to Twitter to air their frustrations.
One user gets straight to the point, addressing all the aforementioned issues with the so-called teaser:
A #HarryPotter reboot in the works at Max using the same theme, font and design of Hogwarts from the original series of films
A #HarryPotter reboot in the works at Max using the same theme, font and design of Hogwarts from the original series of films pic.twitter.com/hFJAIp8KRs
— tomossurrey (@tomossurrey1) April 12, 2023
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Another user mocks Warner Bros. and HBO sarcastically:
“We’re making a faithful reboot of Harry Potter” Oh, but we have the movies? “It’ll be different this time” So new theme song? “Well, no” A new Hogwarts design? “Not exactly” New logo? “… No.”
"We're making a faithful reboot of Harry Potter"
Oh, but we have the movies?
"Itll be different this time"
So new theme song?
"Well, no"
A new Hogwarts design?
"Not exactly"
New logo?
"… No." https://t.co/aAIL7pplq6— DanDee (@FineNDanDee) April 12, 2023
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Another wondered aloud what else the upcoming series might strip from the films:
For real? I wonder how many things they will take from the films. Logo, castle design, prop design, etc. I kinda hope they do everything from scratch.
For real? I wonder how many things they will take from the films. Logo, castle design, prop design, etc. I kinda hope they do everything from scratch.
— michael from paramore (@laportedesigns) April 13, 2023
We’re sure more news will unfold in the coming weeks and months, but let’s just hope it’s not as uninspiring as this new teaser. Either way, more news is sure to make the divide in the Harry Potter fanbase even greater. But in the meantime, at least we have Hogwarts Legacy, which is set in the late 1800s, long before the Harry Potter timeline. Long before any reboots we never asked for.
There is currently no release date for HBO’s Harry Potter series.
Are you looking forward to HBO’s Harry Potter reboot? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!