Harry Potter: Everything We Know About the Upcoming HBO Series Reimagining
What Do We Know About the upcoming HBO series reimagining the Harry Potter franchise? More than you may think. The new adaptation of the beloved J.K. Rowling book series is set to be a more expansive adaptation than the feature film series. From plot, casting news, and more, let’s dive in and take a look at what is coming up in the new take on the Harry Potter universe.
Why a series remake of Harry Potter so soon?
When the first Harry Potter novel debuted in 1997, it took just two years for David Heyman to land the rights to the first four books in the series. It then took two more years to transform the first book into the Chris Columbus feature film, which became a box office behemoth for the decade. But, as the books became longer and more epic, the movie needed to select which subplots and elements to cut from the finished film. While Peter Jackson was able to create theatrical and definitive editions of The Lord of the Rings films, Harry Potter was never designed that way. With this new series adaptation, J.K. Rowling has promised “a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.” At the same time, HBO CEO Casey Bloys has called the season-long adaptation of each novel a “deep dive into each of the iconic books”.
The series will be faithful but also expand on the source material.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner has promised that the new Harry Potter series will show audiences things they have never seen, both in elements from the books excised from the movies and by adding new details from J.K. Rowling’s encyclopedic resource Pottermore. There is a lot to incorporate from the books themselves, but the first season of Harry Potter will have the easiest time as it is the slimmest volume in the seven-book series. How many episodes will be needed remains to be seen, but we should anticipate various chapters depending on which book is being adapted.
The core cast has been set with fresh faces as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
After an exhaustive casting search of 32,000 for newcomers to portray the trio of lead characters, a process that rivaled the original film’s casting, it was announced that Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, and Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger. Alastair Stout will take on Ron Weasley, succeeding Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. John Lithgow will take over the role of Albus Dumbledore from the late Michael Gambon and Richard Harris, while Janet McTeer takes over the role of Professor McGonagall from the late Maggie Smith. Papa Essiedu will play Severus Snape, a challenging role to follow the late Alan Rickman in his iconic performance. Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost replaces the late Robbie Coltrane as gameskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, while Luke Thallon will play Quirinus Quirrell, previously played by Ian Hart. Katherine Parkinson will play Molly Weasley, while Lox Pratt and Johnny Flynn will play Draco and Lucius Malfoy. Leo Earley plays Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni plays Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah plays Lavender Brown, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby play Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Bertie Carvel plays Cornelius Fudge.
There are a lot of roles still unannounced.
When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone premiered, Ian Hart provided the voice for Lord Voldemort, with Richard Bremmer providing his physical appearance in flashback. It remains to be seen if the casting for the villain will occur this early since he does not factor into the main story until the end of the fourth book, but that also leaves us wondering who will play characters like Nearly Headless Nick, Dudley Dursleu, Madame Hooch, Mr. Ollivander, Neville Longbottom, Dead Thomas, Ginny Weasley, Crabbe and Goyle, Oliver Wood, and the countless other characters with speaking roles in the books that will factor into the new series.
Could Fantastic Beasts actors appear in the series?
Flashbacks figure prominently in elements of the Harry Potter stories. With much of the cast of the prequel films still around and the chance to tie up aspects of their story arcs, namely Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and even Jude Law as a younger Albus Dumbledore, this new series could allow for some closure to that unfinished cinematic series.
The series will film at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden.
While we can expect some things about the new Harry Potter series to differ from the films, Hogwarts will remain the same. Gardiner and Mylod have promised a dive into the nooks and crannies of the magical school in the Scottish highlands, but they will keep the look of the Great Hall intact as they use the same sets as the movies. We can expect costumes and magical creatures to feature some distinct looks from what we have seen before, but with the films inspiring everything from the Harry Potter video games to merchandise and the amusement parks in California and Florida, we should be prepared to find some familiarity in the look of the new show.
Will JK Rowling be involved?
Despite her controversial presence on social media distancing her from the films’ stars, Rowling will be credited as executive producer on the new series. Whether she will have any creative input on the series is unknown. Still, we know that Succession writer Francesca Gardiner would serve as showrunner, and Succession director Mark Mylod would serve as executive producer and helmer of multiple episodes. The series will likely employ various writers and directors, with Killing Eve scribe Laura Neal on board the writer’s room. We know that David Heyman will serve as executive producer along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s Neil Blair and Brontë Film and TV’s Ruth Kenley-Letts.
When will we see it?
Production is slated to begin in Summer 2025 for a premiere in late 2026, likely timed to the Christmas season that figured prominently in the novels. Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav has said the series will be a ten-year journey, so it is possible the first season of Harry Potter could push into 2027.
Stay tuned to JoBlo.com as we learn more about the new Harry Potter series and all your other favorite shows. What do you expect to see in the upcoming reimagining of Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments, and click the like and subscribe to follow all our latest original videos.
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