Harry Potter Reboot Series: Here Are All the Reasons Why It Could Work

Whether we like it or not, the Harry Potter reboot series form was made official last night, with a rather laconic announcement that at the same time sparked the hopes of many fans… leaving many perplexed. Looking at the “sentiment” (as they say in the jargon) on the net, the series starts a little disheartened, but it’s just the reaction to the announcement, something destined to make a lot of noise, but which doesn’t necessarily last. Let’s think about the strengths of this makeover and why it might be worth trusting in this project.

Harry Potter Reboot Series: Haters Gonna Hate

Rightly or wrongly, controversies on social networks leave the time they find, always. Time to get indignant or complain until the next unbecoming event in the world of entertainment on which to throw hatred (or at least negativity) regardless. We saw it with The Last of Us and all the stupid controversies about the similarity of the protagonists or the changes to the ethnicity of some characters. We saw it when they announced Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, who became much loved and regretted when he left the role. Or we could remember the rise of Robert Pattinson as Batman and dozens of other cases. Another way of saying that we could come up with is definitely “those who despise buy” because we are certain that the series will be the most viewed of the year of release … even if it were to be pirated by a slice of the public. Of course, in any case, everyone will see it… if only to speak ill of it!

Loyalty… and Everything That Goes With It

The first key feature touted in the ad is fidelity to the source material. Almost a pro forma, when it comes to adaptations, especially if it’s a reboot that comes after a first version that has taken many interpretative liberties. Being faithful is certainly what all fans wish for: this does not mean that some things cannot be improved, as happened in The Last of Us in which some scenes have been expanded and improved (think of the beginning of the story, for example). Certainly, you will avoid doing improbable (if not unforgivable) things with off-character characters as has happened more than once. Loyalty also means being able to see important scenes and flashbacks that were cut, for one reason or another, from the movies.

Being faithful does not deny the possibility of digging even deeper into the characters and stories: once again the way forward would be that of The Last of Us, which delved into emotions and relationships, inner fragility, and provided background on the characters. It could be done by making the most of the playing time, especially in the first seasons which are taken from the slimmer books. One could very well also take advantage of the canonical information Rowling releases about Pottermore, outside of the novels. Therefore, we are not only talking about extended flashbacks on the Marauders, for example, for things present in the books anyway but also a flashback of Minerva McGonagall’s past, as told by the author only on the official website of the saga. Furthermore, these flashbacks, if well appreciated, could develop further into some spin-off, acting as springboards for the live-action expansion of this narrative universe.

A Whole New Casting?

One of the main elements of resistance to the reboot by everyone is the idea of ​​seeing the recasting of iconic roles now imprinted in collective memory. How are we going to bear the impact of a new Hermione or a new Severus Snape, after Emma Watson and Alan Rickman have embodied them to perfection? And yet, these are different interpretations than the original. Watson was too beautiful and glamorous compared to how she is presented in the books (remember Harry and Ron’s incredulity when they see her in Goblet of Fireball gown) while Rickman was well out of her character’s age range, in the first novel about thirty years old, while Rickman at the time of the first film was already well over fifty. We are indeed talking about transposition and not cosplay, but if we demand fidelity to the original, even these details count, because they say something about the character and – attention! – we are talking about actually characterizing elements that give a precise tone, not details related to possible inclusiveness.

Better VFX

Let’s face it: HP’s CGI has aged badly. Of course, a cure was poured over it which at the moment is difficult to find given the enormous demand and the crazy timing which led to a deterioration of the average quality, despite the remarkable technological advancement, but the effects were children of the time and example those of morphing almost make you smile. The goal would be to amaze, but today’s kids are much savvier than they used to be, and seeing something of a lower level on TV than they can find in a video game is not a very good idea.

“I Don’t Look at it, it’s Old”

In general, then, HP’s films already have a good decade, if not two, on their backs, and with all due respect to parents who would like to excite their children with the same audiovisual products they loved as children, it is not certain that the ‘experiment works, indeed, the risk of rejection because “it’s old” is real. The aesthetics and pacing of the film series may not capture today’s decades as they did in the early 2000s, but it’s a recurring problem, not just for HP but for every franchise. A “rejuvenated”, in general, would not hurt. Nothing against Chris Columbus or Alfonso Cuarón, of course, also because a good part of HP’s success lies in the atmosphere they have helped to create.

HBO or no HBO, that is the Question

We close with what is hopeful rather than a positive point: namely that the whole thing is thought of as a series “for HBO Max”, i.e. with the same production criteria as illustrious precedents such as House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession, Peacemaker, His Dark Materials, with solid direction from the showrunner without the “indecisive meddling” typical of the cinematic WB of recent years that has done so much damage not only to HP but also to other properties, such as DC.