Credit: Warner Bros.The saying always goes, “The books are better than the movies.” That has been the standard for most properties adapted from a novel into a movie. Harry Potter fans have felt much of the same, as the film series left out a lot of crucial elements, which are now being promised to be “explored more deeply” in the reboot series.
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It was quite a shock that Warner Bros. decided to reboot the Harry Potter franchise, especially without involving the original actors like standouts Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Still, the franchise is also one of the most profitable, so it was only a matter of time until the core story was given a reboot or sequel. Many had hoped that The Cursed Child stage play would be adapted, though that is not the case currently.
Warner Bros. is developing a complete reboot series that will be available to stream on Max. This series will presumably be seven seasons long and cover the books far deeper than the movies ever could.
The issue with most novel-to-movie adaptations is that most movies are only given around 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours to tell a story explored in a 300-plus page novel. Of course, there will be a lot of left-out details.
The good news for Harry Potter fans is that won’t be the case for the new reboot series, which promises to adapt the novels far more closely.
‘Harry Potter’ Reboot Producer Reveals How the Series Will Change the Films
While speaking to Total Film, Harry Potter reboot producer David Heyman gave insight into how the series is progressing. According to Heyman:
“[On Harry Potter] It’s early days. We haven’t even hired a writer to begin writing. It’s a bit early. But hopefully [it will be] something that’s very special, and gives us an opportunity to see the books, and to enjoy a series which explores the books more deeply.”
The unfortunate bit of news in the insight from Heyman is that it appears the reboot is far from entering the production stage. A writer has not yet been found, so we expect that could take some time. The industry strikes are also taking place in the U.S., so we imagine this could impact the production of the Harry Potter reboot series.
While the series is generally based in the U.K., we imagine that the series will want to seek out writers from all over the globe who know the franchise well.
The good news from the update by Heyman is that he revealed the series would be “exploring the books more deeply.” Though Harry Potter fans have favored live-action films, some understand that the movies left out a ton from the novels.
Some of the most important subjects that were cut from the movies are Ron coming into his own during the Quidditch season in Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (2007). Though Ron does try out for the team and make it in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), he has far better character growth in The Order of the Phoenix novel. This is the first time we see Ron stepping away from being Harry’s hang-around. Harry is suspended from the game, and Ron becomes the hero for Team Gryffindor.
Another important randomly cut moment from the film is when Harry wins the Triwizard Cup, which comes with a 1000 Galleon cash prize. For some reason, the movies cut that important detail out of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). The importance of Harry winning the significant cash prize leads to him donating the money to Fred and George Weasley. They use the money to open their store in Diagon Alley.
Harry is so upset after witnessing the death of Cedric Diggory that he wants nothing to do with the money. Though audiences still saw this heartbreaking moment of Cedric’s death, the money used to open Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was sadly cut. It would have been a good callback for the films when Harry finally experiences their shop in The Half-Blood Prince.
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Plenty of moments were cut from the novels that fans have always wanted to be mentioned or shown in the movies. Thankfully, this new Harry Potter reboot series promises to live up to the hype and deliver fans a more involved adaptation. The question remains when the series will move forward, but we think it might be the adaptation that fans have been waiting for.
What do you think of the Harry Potter series adapting the novels far more closely? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!