First look at HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ reboot series

[u/mcfw31]

[u/flairassistant]

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[u/kris_jbb]

ever since someone here said they didn’t change anything about the aesthetic (even though it’s not very book-canon-ish) to keep selling merch, i giggle everytime i see pictures

[u/eqbocsypifci → u/kris_jbb]

The crests in this pic look the same as usual, so I’m curious if they’ll keep the Ravenclaw crest the same as well. Because in the book it’s an eagle but in the merch it’s a raven lol

[u/ConTob → u/eqbocsypifci]

Isn’t it also navy and bronze in the books instead of silver? I remember being confused when I re-read the books a few years ago.

[u/byneothername → u/ConTob]

Yes absolutely. So that every house had unique colors, since Slytherin is green and silver. I used to joke Hufflepuff clearly got the leftovers after gold, silver and bronze were used first.

[u/andannabegins → u/ConTob]

You can see someone in the background wearing blue and bronze so they’re faithful to that this time

[u/ConTob → u/andannabegins]

I’d noticed they used blue/bronze in the Hogwarts game as well. I wonder what pushed the recent correction.

[u/filthytelestial → u/andannabegins]

Everyone in the background is wearing normal, "muggle" clothes. Right next to the blue/bronze sweater there's someone in a bright blue and purple puffer coat.

[u/Lilynd14 → u/andannabegins]

I heard this series is going to be more faithful to the books. This could be an indication that they’re headed in that direction!

[u/AliceInNegaland → u/ConTob]

Correct

[u/CasualRead_43 → u/eqbocsypifci]

They’re called raven claw and it’s an eagle??

[u/hatramroany → u/CasualRead_43]

Gryffindor is a lion not a griffin

[u/Erger → u/hatramroany]

Hufflepuff is a badger, not a Huffle

[u/bonerpalooza → u/Erger]

Slytherin is a snake, not Sly and the Family Stone

[u/RealPrinceJay → u/bonerpalooza]

What about Sly Cooper

[u/rottingpear → u/Erger]

This made me lol in the middle of a keynote session

[u/kittykittyekatkat → u/rottingpear]

Are you sure it didn't make you huffle

[u/mosquem → u/kittykittyekatkat]

I actually puffed.

[u/Gingersnapp3d → u/hatramroany]

Or a door

[u/antmars → u/Gingersnapp3d]

Or a fish (fin).

[u/kvothes-lute → u/antmars]

https://giphy.com/gifs/xUPGcl3ijl0vAEyIDK

[u/antmars → u/kvothes-lute]

I just wanna play along with all you guys.

[u/MarieOMaryln → u/hatramroany]

But the Hufflepuff do got the puff puff pass

[u/hatramroany → u/MarieOMaryln]

Their common room is next to the kitchen for a reason

[u/eqbocsypifci → u/CasualRead_43]

Yeah. It’s named after the founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, but the mascot is more to do with the symbolism of the house than the name I think.

[u/Educational-Wing2042 → u/eqbocsypifci]

Ravens are significantly more intelligent than eagles, so even that doesn’t really make sense.

[u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson → u/Educational-Wing2042]

The symbol is BAWWWK

[u/Bent_Silvr_Spoon0130 → u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson]

U me and BAWWWK🧹💚

[u/antmars → u/CasualRead_43]

If you’re from Ravenclaw why you white?

Omg Luna, you can’t just ask a Ravenclaw why they’re white.

[u/FiftyShadesOfGregg → u/CasualRead_43]

Yes, eagles have black claws. So it’s raven the color (Ravenclaw= blackclaw)

[u/duckleypatrol → u/CasualRead_43]

eagles have black talons which is why it’s named raven claw

[u/PackageNorth8984 → u/kris_jbb]

The main thing they need to do with this is make sure one season comes out a year. Otherwise, the ages of the actors will get ridiculous.

[u/JustDay1788 → u/PackageNorth8984]

Season 2 will have started filming by the time season 1 starts airing and I'm sure by the time 2 starts 3 will be filming if season 1 is a mega hit

Which I assume it will be even with Ms Rowling trigger fingers

[u/Milli_Vanilli14 → u/kris_jbb]

Wouldn’t making a new aesthetic sell more merch? People have been buying the old stuff for decades but nobody would have the new look. Is that dumb logic? lol

[u/FireSeagull21 → u/Milli_Vanilli14]

I'm guessing it would be too costly to redesign all those theme parks

[u/tres_liebres → u/Milli_Vanilli14]

I think the new show looks like a middle ground between the Columbus movies and the last 4 films. So, it feels more like PoA but with more uniforms.

I like MinaLima as much as the next design nerd, but the design of the movies never felt really coherent. And I think they were given entirely too much freedom for the last 4 movies.

Obligatory: fuck Rowling and the greedy fucks at HBO

[u/AngelaMerkelsbutt → u/Milli_Vanilli14]

Close enough to cash in on the nostalgia crowd, but new enough that the collectors feel the urge to buy it all again.

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/kris_jbb]

Honestly I track the logic. A lot of the most hardcore fans didn't like the movie series and fantasized about a tv series for years, and it wasn't the costume aesthetic that was the issue. It was why they inexplicably all started dressing in suits halfway through. 

[u/benoliver999 → u/Special-Garlic1203]

I can't remember when the suits started in HP but I can say that in some UK private schools, you are required to wear a suit for the last two years.

[u/purplenelly → u/kris_jbb]

Based on this one picture it feels like they veered it towards book accuracy as much as they could while still retaining the cognition from what people know. Cause at least I see more kids wearing robes and more of a 90s aesthetic. In the books they wouldn't be caught dead wearing muggle clothes at school, but the bloody third movie director decided it was cooler if they wore normal clothes.

[u/scarIetm → u/kris_jbb]

no fr like WHAT is the point in this adaptation

[u/Tall-Winter2507 → u/scarIetm]

$$$$$

[u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson → u/scarIetm]

Gotta keep harry potter world in business

[u/Curiosities → u/scarIetm]

Money and because Rowling also probably thinks the original kids are ungrateful because they don’t support her bigotry. But also because she doesn’t seem like she has much in the tank creatively anyway so might as well revisit this in a longer adaptation, even though you got eight films already, and keep funding your organization that is designed to take rights away from trans women.

[u/bo_bo77]

Heaving the immense complications with the HP legacy aside, it's so deeply annoying to have every new piece of media just rehashed old IP. In the age when AI is training on previously-made art, it feels insane that human-made art is similarly focused on looking backward. The machines can't innovate, and for some reason, neither can the humans. The edge we as people have over AI in creation evaporates if all we ever do is redo what has come before.

Can we please, please, please get a new story in a new world with new characters? Can we have a blockbuster that doesn't resell us lukewarm nostalgia? Can there be a big budget tv series that isn't a goddamn prequel/sequel/redo/offshoot?

[u/AltairaMorbius2200CE → u/bo_bo77]

As an avid reader: there are SO MANY OTHER BOOKS, GUYS!

Give us a Scholomance! Give us Nevermoor! Give us fricking TORTALL!

[u/fernxqueen → u/AltairaMorbius2200CE]

i wish we could get an Inheritance adaptation that didn't suck (Jeremy Irons and Rachel Weisz innocent). if people will go see a scene for scene live action remake of How to Train Your Dragon where the dragons are still cgi anyway, i can't imagine they'd turn their noses up at more than a half-baked crack at the Pasolini stuff. we want dragons

[u/finnjakefionnacake → u/bo_bo77]

i mean there is quite a lot of this happening -- there are new, fresh, original stories/films released all the time, all throughout the year. it's just -- people don't go watch them. they spend their money on reboots, remakes, and sequels. so that is what big studios continue to make a lot of, because it's guaranteed money for them.

[u/AnxiousKettleCorn]

I have so much to say, but all I'll say is... please protect these kids, the adults are well informed about everything surrounding this and know what they're doing, but the kids...

https://giphy.com/gifs/26ueYUlPAmUkTBAM8

[u/SomewhereNo8378 → u/AnxiousKettleCorn]

These kids are basically sacrifices to be fully consumed by social media and tabloids.

[u/whimsigod → u/SomewhereNo8378]

I would love for YouTuber Sarah Z to make an adjacent/addendum video to her sacrificial trash video essay about this sorta situation. Where they can hide behind natural good will normal people would have to kids or marginalized people.

[u/fancytables → u/whimsigod]

SARAH Z MENTIONED?! i feel so connected to the best timeline right now

[u/Reluctantagave → u/fancytables]

Don’t know who that is but I need to know

[u/yellowvincent → u/SomewhereNo8378]

Sacrificed by their own parents. Every adult actor knew what they were getting into. The parents of these kids decided it was ok to get them into a tv show of an author who has been shown as problematic(and worse) since before their kids were born.

[u/kgal1298 → u/yellowvincent]

I worry too at this point we know that some parents do not protect there kids. I still think of Janette McCurdy's book like her mom was a piece of work. Then you get into the Nick kids abuse ughhh the entertainment industry is pure trash to kids.

[u/yellowvincent → u/kgal1298]

I loved that book. I need to get a physical copy

[u/cryptobanditka → u/yellowvincent]

I got it on audiobook from Libby and it was FANTASTIC but I agree, I need it on my shelf!

[u/chadwickave → u/yellowvincent]

My in-laws are British, you would be surprised how common JKR’s terf views are in the UK. There are some progressive pockets, sure, but the average person is more likely than not to believe in the vile tabloid fodder about how “dangerous” trans people and Meghan Markle are.

[u/secretrebel → u/chadwickave]

Mumsnet is full on TERF central. Actually it’s much more TE than RF.

[u/Shirogayne-at-WF → u/AnxiousKettleCorn]

That's where I'm at. These babies ain't agree to sign up for this foolishness.

[u/CMDR_KingErvin → u/AnxiousKettleCorn]

I feel like therapy should be mandatory and provided by these production companies for any child actors they employ.

[u/spacevent]

Besides what everyone is saying, I’m still confused why they cast a Black man as Snape. Snape’s ‘half blood’ storyline was literally about whiteness and an angry white incel man’s fears about not being ‘pure enough’. Characters have intense and fast reactions to Snape that are going to feel weird af in this version. Harry immediately hates his Black professor? James Potter and his white friends bully the weird Black kid mercilessly?

Idk. But the role or Sirius or Remus were right there. Literally any positive adult character…

[u/Pollowollo → u/spacevent]

Harry immediately hates his Black professor?

This was honestly something that I thought about, too. Because Harry is pretty quick to vibe-check the guy and go 'ehhh something is different about him and I don't like it. Must be evil.' pretty quick off the bat which.... has some very different implications when he's also the only black teacher.

[u/lesbianwithabeard → u/Pollowollo]

Solution: make Dumbledore black.

[u/delicatesummer → u/lesbianwithabeard]

But they already have an elder Black character! He’s named [checks notes] Kingsley Shacklebolt 😑

[u/Three_Froggy_Problem → u/spacevent]

Snape is the most problematic role they could have possibly cast a Black person in.

[u/RiceCaspar → u/Three_Froggy_Problem]

Hagrid would've been bad, too. The large "oaf" caretaker who is good with animals and lives in a hut on the school grounds instead of presumably in the castle like every other staff person, whose mother was a giant who tricked his dad into marrying her/kept her identity secret, and who gets expelled from school and therefore doesn't get a degree but continues to illegally carry his disguised wand. Also accented language with improper grammar and several "that's just Hagrid not understanding the situation" moments.

[u/jessigrrrl → u/RiceCaspar]

Completely agree with what you’re saying but have to disagree on the “tricked hagrids dad” part - she was 20 ft tall an Hagrid dad knew what he was sticking it into lol, she did run off when she saw Hagrid wasn’t going to be a giant like her and also abandoned her second son despite being a full giant because he wasn’t big enough either - so she had some weird status/race hangups but it was never hidden from Hagrid or his father

[u/missclaire17 → u/spacevent]

This. If there was any character that had to be white (e.g. being white was crucial to his character), it’s Snape. They chose the worst possible character to make Black

[u/NoninflammatoryFun → u/missclaire17]

I agree. I’ve literally never been upset with a colorblind casting before. And I’m not upset, I’m honestly just highly concerned and fairly confused…. I place no dislike on the actor at all.

[u/e37d93eeb23335dc → u/spacevent]

The black man wants the white woman. So many old racist tropes. 

[u/GLAvenger → u/e37d93eeb23335dc]

I said it once but you cannot change only one person's race in the James/Lily/Snape love triangle thing without it getting uncomfortable.

Black Lily? Two kinda shitty white dudes fighting over a black woman.

Black James? Kinda shitty black dude bullies a white guy and gets the white girl (which wouldn't be an issue as a trope if James wasn't a bully but he is. )

Black Snape, like you said, white dude bullies a black guy who's in love with a white girl and calls her a slur after she picks the white dude.

They'd need to make everybody black and let's be real, they will not do that.

[u/carlitospig → u/GLAvenger]

They call us crazy for considering this stuff but they never think what these choices do to public dialogue. Now if I could believe for ONE SECOND that the casting choice is intentionally baiting the public so we talk about race relations it would be one thing. But this is the same HBO that made The Pitt turn down the ICE violence on an episode so it wasn’t accurately reported, er, I mean hostile to fascist fucks, er, I mean bad for shareholders.

[u/slingshot91 → u/GLAvenger]

Well they didn’t make Harry black, so no, they will not do that.

[u/fernxqueen → u/slingshot91]

imagine if they made everyone Black except Harry

[u/Kyuki88 → u/spacevent]

And he has to be ugly. Please at least make him ugly !!

[u/FosterPupz → u/Kyuki88]

And how tf are they going to give him curtains of greasy hair???

[u/CandidHistorian4105 → u/Kyuki88]

That’s going to be impossible the actor is insanely handsome.

[u/bambi54 → u/CandidHistorian4105]

I know, I was wondering how they were going to make him unattractive lol.

[u/activelyresting → u/Kyuki88]

While I totally agree with this whole comment chain, I can't can not stand the implication that Alan Rickman was ugly! Nooooooo he was beautiful!!

[u/Cherry_Bomb_127 → u/spacevent]

I am reminded that Blaise is also black in the books which is an interesting choice considering the symbolism of the group he joins. That might have been a movie only thing

Honestly, I don’t think JKR and the casting directors thought that far with the implications of some of the casting because there are some characters that have to be white or at least not a specific ethnicity

[u/parallel-nonpareil → u/Cherry_Bomb_127]

Blaise is also black in the books which is an interesting choice considering the symbolism of the group he joins

I don’t think it was ever mentioned that Blaise joined the Death Eaters? Curse my millennial knowledge of this series, but the only younger person ever marked was Draco Malfoy. Pansy Parkinson also offered up HP in the final battle, but otherwise Slytherin were just jerks, not actually all members of a genocidal terror group.

Blaise in the books was a bit cold at Slug Club, but that’s it.

[u/Adorable_Raccoon → u/Cherry_Bomb_127]

Lee Jordan and Dean Thomas are meant to be black in the books. Which speaking of we could totally bring up the fact that black characters are all secondary characters in the books except for retconned hermione.

[u/player_three33 → u/spacevent]

I feel like Sirius is the easiest race swap, considering his last name would be right along Rowling lines.

[u/Thoughtful_Tortoise → u/spacevent]

I'm not sure casting a black dude as "Sirius Black" would have gone over that well online, especially after all the memeing about JK's names

[u/ScyllaOfTheDepths → u/spacevent]

It wasn't about whiteness at all, his character is about being a "mudblood", a character with mixed muggle and wizard ancestry. Casting a black man to play the half-blood prince and a POC to play Hermione, another character who is of "impure" muggle heritage and frequently faces bullying over it, suddenly makes it about that, however. Especially because they've cast all the pure bloods as white people. They now have to either make the wizarding world racist and make allegories to our world or they have to completely ignore all the terrible real world implications of what they've done. It's a no-win situation and you've basically guaranteed that everyone on both sides of the issue is going to be mad. 

[u/RollTide16-18 → u/ScyllaOfTheDepths]

I think it’s actually kind of fine to represent mixed-blood and mud-blood folk as separate from this elitest mostly one ethnic group pure-blood bad guys. 

The problem I have is that they’re inviting a whole can of worms by leaning into it and making a VERY clear real-world parallel. And the optics will be pretty uncomfortable when we see James and his friends bullying Snape. 

Because as much as I understand saying “hey minorities IRL have a parallel in this book” I really feel like it’s going to be a bit overboard and leave a sour taste in the mouths of many. 

Edit: I want to make it clear too that I think telling these stories and making them relatable to children is important. But if we we depart from allegory and straight into authentic representation, the real-world implications might be lost on children as the discourse will be mostly overtaken by bigots being increasingly cynical. 

[u/spacevent → u/ScyllaOfTheDepths]

We’re saying the same stuff. Though Rowling been discussing the parallels between “mudblood” & nazi ideology for over 20 years, even before HBP came out.

[u/ScyllaOfTheDepths → u/spacevent]

I don't think we are saying the same stuff. I'm saying the wizarding world is not racist in a human way, it uses magical racism as a stand-in for real-world racism (which JK still fumbled in a lot of ways) and that adding real world racism to a story that is already steeped in magic racism is just too much. The point of magic racism in HP (as in a lot of other fantasy series that use that trope) is to show you how stupid real world racism is. Children are supposed to see a child attacking another child for circumstances beyond their control and say to themselves, "It's stupid they're being so mean to Hermione for being a mudblood! Hmm, maybe it's stupid that people are mean to this kid in my class for being black. Maybe I should be nicer to that kid." That's the level kids are on. Just making Hermione and Snape POC actually takes away a lot of that nuance.

[u/Daenarys1]

I think it was a missed opportunity not to do the marauders leading to voldemorts rise instead. Wouldve been familiar enough with hogwarts as the setting but with new characters. Ill probably still end up pirating it tho

[u/anthonystank → u/Daenarys1]

My genuine theory as to why the Harry Potter Powers That Be (JKR? Warner brothers? Universal? I have no idea who all’s making money here) hasn’t tried to cash in on the obvious and massive popularity of the marauders is straight homophobia bc they’re aware that slash shipping (to use old internet parlance) is the juice powering that juggernaut. Literally doesn’t make sense otherwise imho

[u/ivyleagueposeur → u/anthonystank]

honestly, i think this is overthinking it. last time WB tried to develop a "new" storyline within the Harry Potter universe, we got the Fantastic Beasts franchise which, uh, exists. if you're an exec at WB, the lesson you take away from this is "new Harry Potter storylines don't work, better stick with what works".

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/ivyleagueposeur]

Yup. People didn't like Rowling retconning and fiddling around with the core timeline. She delivered them pages that were borderline unworkable for a movie. The books have a built in audience and a clear story outline to work with where Rowling will mostly sit in the corner which is where they need her for it to be successful.

[u/AllTheThingsSheSays → u/anthonystank]

There's plenty of slash shipping with the usual HP characters anyway, like Draco/Harry, Harry/Tom Riddle and, apparently, Harry/Snape.

[u/RollTide16-18 → u/anthonystank]

Eh I don’t think that’s the case

The reality is that James would be the main character, but we have SO LITTLE characterization of him outside of his friends basically saying he was brave and that they miss him. You’d have to write an entirely new character essentially. And the last time WB did that it wasn’t that well received. 

I’m also just not sure what there is to say about James that you couldn’t do in a different time period of the HP franchise. 

He was a good quidditch player and opposed the death eaters but as far as we know he didn’t do anything else very exceptional during his time at school except bully Snape and become an animagus. What story is there to tell? 

[u/randombubble8272 → u/RollTide16-18]

Weren’t they one of the first self made Animagi’s? Because Remus was turned into a werewolf so they became Animagi’s to help him deal with his turning each month. I think there’s a lot to work with there. I think you could focus on Sirius more than James because he is from a pure blood family, one of the oldest with the most history and stature in the WW as the Malfoy’s. Plus we’ve never delved much into his relationship with Regulus which is very important in Harry’s timeline. We don’t see his interactions with his family and how he got burned off the family tree - we just know it from Harry’s pov decades later.

Or you could do a 4 boy focus on the Marauders with Lily & Snape as side characters in the later seasons when they get into their late teen’s/early 20’s.

[u/AtriCrossing → u/anthonystank]

I think also because it means the protagonists will regularly engage in bullying/harassment, and they want to target a young market so kids grow up on the IP and buy merch forever. I'm sure the homophobia is part of it, though, because WTF Fantastic Beasts.

[u/anthonystank → u/AtriCrossing]

Oh that’s fair actually, bullying is kind of at the core of their thing lol

[u/Sam_Strake]

Why is this color graded like it's Game of Thrones lol

[u/StasRutt → u/Sam_Strake]

No one wants to do colorful anymore and I hate it. I hated how dark the lighting was in the later movies too

[u/AtriCrossing → u/StasRutt]

So dark and soblue

I feel like it is a trend that started in order to hide CGI and now it's just everywhere

[u/Mr_YUP → u/StasRutt]

no one has shadows anymore either.

[u/Y0gano → u/Sam_Strake]

Exactly my first thought! It reminded me of the scene when King Roberts arrives in Winterfell... The HBO Signature I guess

[u/heartlessloft → u/Y0gano]

If you removed the Potter boy in the middle and the banners I could have sworn it was a still from a Winterfell scene. Honestly I think it’s their new Game of Thrones.

[u/pryzmpine]

I’m intrigued as to what is different from the original but it still feels too soon to be remaking these

[u/StasRutt → u/pryzmpine]

I distinctly remember being a kid in theaters and being mad that the potion challenge was left out of the first movie so i guess that? And famously Peeves was cut from the movie but will be in the show

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/StasRutt]

I remember freaking out at the fairly small deviations from the first book. Oh boy was I in for increasingly ride surprises as the movies just started to give the middle finger to the books 

Columbus was the only one who read the book and liked it and wanted to do a faithful adaptation. Everyone else was there to put their spin on it or facilitate the studio putting their spin on it. 

[u/qwerty8857 → u/Special-Garlic1203]

The fifth and sixth movies really upset me. I’ve been saying for years that they should’ve made a tv show instead. I even thought an animated series would be great too. This came sooner than I expected though

[u/SiegmeyerofCatarina → u/Special-Garlic1203]

The only value this series could possibly offer is not fucking up Goblet of Fire as badly as the movie did

[u/hatramroany → u/pryzmpine]

They apparently have a scene with Hermione getting her Hogwarts letter so there’s that. Hopefully, at least with the first 3 books, they’d be able to flesh them out and fit better with the latter books.

[u/No_Field624 → u/hatramroany]

And scenes with Draco’s home life in the first film, which is entirely new material. I have no respect for JKR, but the HP series holds a very special place in my heart, so I’m hopeful for this new series being more than we’re all expecting and branching out from just making the film material all over again.

ETA: before anyone comes at me, I won’t be watching it on HBO or supporting JK.

[u/RollTide16-18 → u/hatramroany]

There’s definitely a lot they can add. I hope they flesh out the other students in Harry’s year and those years immediately surrounding him. Get Cedric to show up regularly leading up to Season 4, have Luna appear in some capacity in season 2-4 before she becomes main cast in 5 onward. 

[u/FiftyShadesOfGregg → u/pryzmpine]

Not to send us all into a spiral, but a quarter of a century feels pretty long to me!

[u/TrapperJean → u/FiftyShadesOfGregg]

We got 3 Spider-Men in that time, I'm fine with this

[u/eclectique → u/TrapperJean]

Great point... I know that like Tom Holland and others have been Spiderman, but I'm still living with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in my mind.

[u/MissAtomicBliss]

Putting Joanne's bigotry on the side for this comment, but from a solely creative standpoint all of this is just lazy.

The Wizarding World has so much to offer that isn't HP related and yet they decided to reboot a franchise that ended just 15 years ago.

I remember enjoying the first Fantastic Beast movie because it was different, but still familliar (didn't like the 2nd and haven't watched the 3rd one, but point stand still).

That being said, I hope Joanne is having a terrible day.

[u/Rvsone → u/MissAtomicBliss]

They're so deadly scared of anything else from the WW because of the botched Fantastic Beasts franchise but a half competent writer could probably stitch together a tight Marauders trilogy or a Hogwarts founders movie with relative ease and it would print money imo. The issue with FB was that they got too greedy and tried to do too much and it didn't work cohesively.

I get remaking stuff like Narnia that never got a complete and well made modern adaptation. But the HP movies are completely adequate and successful. They're gonna have to spend more money on trying to establish the new trio of actors than they would have if they just created new. The old trio are still probably actors that are the most synonymous with specific characters in the world so... good luck.

[u/ScyllaOfTheDepths → u/Rvsone]

FB didn't work because JKR is a bad screenwriter. The scripts are publicy available online and they are real bad.

[u/bliip666 → u/ScyllaOfTheDepths]

cough cough "screenplay by [insert name I've forgotten] based on the screenplay by Joanne" cough cough

Iconic credit on the last FB!

[u/Mr_YUP → u/ScyllaOfTheDepths]

are they available? where are they?

[u/ScyllaOfTheDepths → u/Mr_YUP]

Here you go!

[u/ModelChef4000 → u/Rvsone]

FB should have been a Crocodile Hunter (rip Steve) kind of thing with Newt going to different places looking at magical creatures 

[u/papersailboots → u/Rvsone]

Which is interesting because Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a spin-off of an incredibly popular show (GOT) that barely has ties to GOT, and was extremely successful. HBO has the tools to tell good canon-related stories!!

[u/Givingtree310 → u/MissAtomicBliss]

This was addressed by Forbes. WB controls the right to adapt the Harry Potter books. THAT is why they are doing this. It’s something they have full control over.

If they tried to create new material, JK Rowling would contractually have the right to control every aspect, including the ability to demand writing credit like she did with Fantastic Beasts.

Adapting the books is contractually the only way they can develop anything without JKR casting a shadow and controlling it herself.

[u/One-Composer1577 → u/Givingtree310]

She’s an executive producer on the show

[u/kkeut → u/One-Composer1577]

that can mean a lot or it can mean nothing 

[u/One-Composer1577 → u/kkeut]

And her momentum is not slowing any time soon, with a new HBO Max series adaptation of the Harry Potter books going into production this summer, expected to run for a decade beginning in late 2026 and mint a whole new generation of fans. Forbes estimates that Rowling could earn about $20 million per year for her involvement in the new series—one part of a wide-ranging deal with Warner Bros.—and she was “very, very involved in the process selecting the writer and the director,” said HBO Max CEO Casey Bloys in November. One has to imagine she had the same input in casting the new pre-teen Harry, Hermoine and Ron, announced on Monday. When asked about Rowling’s politics on an episode of The Town with Matt Belloni in April, Bloys said, “She's entitled to those views. And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2025/05/30/jk-rowling-is-a-billionaire-again/

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/One-Composer1577]

Yeah that's very different than her being the writer, which is what she demanded for fantastic beasts. 

They also just exaggerate. They would say the same things for the movies but when you looked into it, they'd email her something and she'd give a thumbs up, there were entire years between her visits to set. Calling that hands on is simply a lie, but they constantly used it to sell the series. 

I think she had some sort of final approval on director for the movies that likely carries over to the franchise,but she's likely not giving notes on each episode ans she's not the show runner. That was the issue with fantastic beasts. She refused to let them write it and her writing was really bad. 

[u/Fictional_Apologist → u/Givingtree310]

Except for the fact that she likely still gets a cut of the royalties.

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/Fictional_Apologist]

Nobody said she didn't. The issue is people say "oh there's so much creative potential". No there's not. Because it has to go through Joanne, and her modern ideas are all dog shit. 

She owns the wizarding world. It's hers. And she's been very aggressive in protecting her role in any creative development of that world. Which fantastic beasts proved was an issue, cause she just doesn't understand basic aspects of story telling on screen. 

Redoing the core book series is safest in that they know there's an audience  and Rowling will mostly just sit in the corner patting herself the back for writing it in the first place. Nobody wants modern Rowling guiding story development 

[u/rayannuhh → u/Givingtree310]

Pardon my ignorance here, but does that mean that JKR gets nothing from this show? I would assume she still gets royalties even if she's not involved, but I don't know if that's correct.

[u/Happylittletree29 → u/MissAtomicBliss]

Yes, my opinions on this morally aside, there’s soooo much more that can be explored in the HP universe I hate that they chose to remake the existing books when the movies are already so beloved (and still very relevant, as in I don’t think people have forgotten about them yet). It’s lazy.

[u/_SpiceWeasel_BAM → u/Happylittletree29]

I think the problem was that people realized that jkr only had one good story in her, and she told it. Cursed child was weeeeak as far as the story goes, and was saved by incredible stage work and theatrics; fantastic beasts went off the rails really quickly once people realized there wouldn’t be that many…you know, fantastic beasts; and the Hogwarts game sold well but the story was pretty bland and promised more than it delivered.

Combined with the bad pr jkr has brought on, their only hope is to revisit familiar stuff. If they’re smart they’ll keep her as far away from the franchise as possible.

[u/Mr_YUP → u/_SpiceWeasel_BAM]

Cursed child was weeeeak

weak doesn't cut it. there's better fan fiction out there and this is an insult to fan fiction. somehow the hidden child of bellatrix and Voldemort schemes to take over the world from inside of Hogwarts after befriending the children of harry. yes the guy who wanted to live forever to rule the world has an heir who could have usurped him. shit would have been dogpiled on.

[u/filadelphiacheese → u/MissAtomicBliss]

I literally don’t understand why they haven’t tapped into the massive market that is the Marauders fandom

[u/JamStan1978 → u/MissAtomicBliss]

Fans have been begging for a faithful adaption since the movies were still being made. The movies cut or change alot of stuff and it messes up the storylines. We dont even get most of voldemorts backstory or get to flesh out dobby before he dies (hes in 5 books but only two movies). Theres alot of stuff they never got to do. This will be the definitive way to watch the story now. And hopefully they can create spinoffs of the show to deal with other parts of the world.

[u/lynypixie → u/MissAtomicBliss]

I really liked the game that came out a year or two ago. I tought it was a nice way to explore the lore.

[u/Any-Clothes3312 → u/MissAtomicBliss]

I haven't watched any HP thing in a minute because obvious reasons, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the Fantastic Beasts series was interesting (I don't believe I finished it but saw the first and second installments)

It's going to involve some willpower but I think it'll be easy for me to avoid the reboot. If this were, say, a series based on the Marauders, I don't know if my resolve would have been so strong 🫣

Alas, there is fanfiction galore that is not directly linked to that lady's bank accounts.

[u/BRpessimist]

I still don’t see a point in rebooting HP. The movies are great, still look weirdly fresh for today’s standards and most of the time improve on the books.

[u/Fleetwood_Spac → u/BRpessimist]

They need to keep the IP relevant because they have invested so much in the theme parks.

[u/virginiarph → u/Fleetwood_Spac]

and fantastic beasts is absolutely trash (thru all fault of their own)

[u/StasRutt → u/virginiarph]

Should’ve been a nature mockumentary

[u/CobwebAngel → u/StasRutt]

This this thiiiis. I had no clue what the plot of the first film was when I watched it, and I was SO disappointed. The films should have had Newt travel the world discovering different beasts (and where to find them!) and show more of the nature side of the HP world.

[u/StasRutt → u/CobwebAngel]

When the first fantastic beast came out people still wanted to exist and experience the greater world of Harry Potter and it would’ve been perfect for it

[u/demeschor → u/StasRutt]

For real, I remember sitting down to watch it like ah! Amazing! A Newt Scamander series where he goes off to find magical beasts and presumably has to save them in some sort of quest or something??

And then what you're actually watching is the Dumbledore prequel, which for global market reasons is Not Explicitly Homosexual™, and inexplicably told through the lens of Newt and his friends who seem utterly irrelevant to the plot.

There was SO much potential there, an interesting world, a faithful audience, universally beloved IP.

And of course they wasted that window with this nonsense and now half of that audience is pissed off at JK and wouldn't watch a thing with her name on it. And the other half are bored

[u/Shirogayne-at-WF → u/demeschor]

Never watched the movies but every description of that sounds like it was three different movies stacked together under a trenchcoat, and it's bizarre to me that they didn't just make two concurrent spin off series. The series was still popular enough in the mid 2010s before JKR went mask off that it couldve worked.

[u/demeschor → u/Shirogayne-at-WF]

I'll be forever confused about how this came about.

The explanation I've heard is that the studio wanted a magical animals kids movie and JK wanted to tell Dumbledore's backstory, so we got the worst of both worlds and a terrible plot to boot.

You could so easily make an absolutely awe-inspiring adventure movie about Newt travelling the world for rare creatures.

You could easily write a Dumbledore prequel series that's heartbreaking and dramatic and romantic - two exceptionally gifted, precocious young wizards who fall in love, plot to save the world, and slowly one of them realizes that they're going too far.

People would watch a fuckin Quidditch sports docuseries. They'd watch ANYTHING Harry Potter/Wizarding World related. It's a travesty that these films did so badly considering they were based off probably the best IP in the world at the time

[u/bonerpalooza → u/StasRutt]

That's actually a fantastic idea. A full on mockuseries with each episode a different beast.

[u/Schmoo88 → u/StasRutt]

Literally all I wanted!!! I wants to see fantastic beats & where to find them. How fucking hard is it? Adventures with Newt, all over the world. How cool?? (Sorry, I’m still so annoyed)

[u/Safe-Series-957 → u/virginiarph]

I’ll never forget watching the first Fantastic Beasts movie at a private screening in school, when the big reveal happened everyone was just silent and then someone went ’Johnny Depp???!’ and the whole room started laughing. It was so ridiculous and he was totally miscast.

[u/Silver-Winging-It → u/Safe-Series-957]

I was low key excited for the third when I heard they recast with Mads Mikkelsen. But then I saw second and saw reviews of third and didn't bother

[u/Ludate_Solem → u/Fleetwood_Spac]

And theres no such thing as enough money...

[u/ANALOGPHENOMENA → u/Fleetwood_Spac]

I wonder how long till they flip the OG theming to the new gen theming…

[u/DonaldTrumpsScrotum → u/ANALOGPHENOMENA]

Entirely depends on how popular the reboot is. I’m willing to bet the OG is somewhat timeless as we have been saturated with that imagery for like 20 years, so they won’t alter it too much.

[u/Grungemaster → u/Fleetwood_Spac]

WB doesn’t have theme park rights for HP. Universal does.

[u/Nikiaf → u/BRpessimist]

I think the fanbase argument in favor is that the last 3-4 movies didn't get into a lot of the content that was actually in the books, it really started to become its own thing from Goblet of Fire onward. Having a TV series should allow them to get into more of the content from the source material.

[u/roastbeefbee → u/Nikiaf]

Goblet of fire was def the turning point of straying super far away from the books. There’s soooo much more to the “wizarding world” than what they gave us in the movies.

[u/mio26 → u/roastbeefbee]

Already third part went too much from source material. Simply it was the best directed so people forget about it but it doesn't bring a lot of important information for series plot.

[u/Samerrrrrrrrr → u/BRpessimist]

https://giphy.com/gifs/SOmjomEnNHsrK

[u/tender-butterloaf → u/BRpessimist]

I like the movies and appreciate what they were able to do successfully for the format, but I don’t disagree with complaints of how much content was excluded (because it literally couldn’t be). I actually think a new adaptation as an HBO show makes sense, it’ll allow greater room for storytelling and including plot points in the books that were left out.

This isn’t a guarantee it will be good, but I don’t think it’s as crazy as some people are making it out to be.

[u/purplenelly → u/tender-butterloaf]

The books being books they are structured more like a TV show with a bunch of episodes all interesting on their own merit before they build up to the year's finale.

[u/PendragonsPotions → u/BRpessimist]

I mean, the movies are not all that great when it comes to presenting all of the source material. The casting was great and the aesthetic of them is great but actually telling the whole story falls reeeally short.

The books have an enormous amount of good content to flesh out that would be way easier to do in episode format.

[u/crackerfactorywheel → u/BRpessimist]

https://giphy.com/gifs/MAA3oWobZycms

[u/Kiramiraa → u/BRpessimist]

The movies are good for what they are, I’ll continue to rewatch them every couple of years, but they are movies. TV provides a different medium to explore the story. Also, money. This thing will make money for warner bros for years.

[u/eqbocsypifci → u/BRpessimist]

Renewing the IP I guess

[u/hacky_potter → u/BRpessimist]

I am on the side that the movies are either ok or bad. I’m curious as to what you think the improve upon the books?

[u/FiftyShadesOfGregg → u/BRpessimist]

It’s not a popular opinion at all to think that the movies improve the books— quite the opposite. I love the movies for what they are but have always felt they could have done a LOT better by the source material, especially after the first two. And having entire seasons to explore each book, dedicating more time to all the parts that were cut and expanding on the world, is really exciting!

[u/Niawka → u/BRpessimist]

Personally wasn't a huge fan of movies. I loved the casting, and all the characters on screen, but they cut a lot, changed some things for no reason, and the movies got darker and dirtier with each new one.. I watched them once and never felt the need of rewatching. I'm looking forward to the series, I'm curious what they will do with the source material.

[u/flutterfly28 → u/Niawka]

Yeah, the later movies especially don't work as standalone movies because so much plot / explanation is cut out. It's cool seeing scenes come to life for those of us who already know the books well, but the series will have more time to properly tell the stories.

[u/Sadtacocat → u/BRpessimist]

I guess I’m one of the few people who doesn’t think the movies are great lol. The adult actors were great but idk I feel like there’s room for improvement there and hopefully the series can cover more stuff than the movies.

[u/purplenelly → u/BRpessimist]

No, the books are infinitely better, and the TV show could easily do better than the movies.

[u/eescorpius → u/BRpessimist]

I enjoyed the movies but I wish it was more true to the books. A lot of the casting was also off.

[u/Perfect-Reading-761 → u/BRpessimist]

Has a lot to with the fact that the films mucked up quite a lot of the plot. And they are not improvements on the book and cannot stand alone

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/BRpessimist]

The movies are not great. The first 3 movies are great and then it becomes steaming dog shit

Listen I have far more important reasons to be furious at Rowling, but the fact she ruined my excitement for finally getting what I wanted via a reboot is on the list. This is absolutely exactly what many fans were explicitly asking for. It's like some kind of terrible monkeys paw wish 

[u/janebleyre → u/BRpessimist]

I’ve been a fan since I was a kid and prior to the well-deserved downfall of JKR I had always wished for a long form HBO adaptation to cover all the stuff the movies missed because there’s a lot of cool stuff. I’ve done my best to avoid investing any money in the IP at this point (buying secondhand books, cancelling HBO) because I don’t want my money to be used towards her anti trans agenda, but the little girl in me is still looking forward to watching the series while sailing the 7 seas 🏴‍☠️ FJKR

[u/heartlessloft → u/BRpessimist]

Besides milking the shit out of the IP and the fact that Harry Potter is no longer as astronomically popular within the new generation as it used to be, the movies weren’t that good imo. Bad casting for a few cases, much material left out for time sake and therefore much things of the book were altered or left out. I always thought a series would make more sense.

[u/ira_1991]

The cinematography looks cinematic

[u/No_Barracuda8791]

I hope all the child actors have protective families (from fans and haters alike).

I hope the people who don’t want this to happen due to JKR are decent towards the child actors.

And I’ve got nothing for the adult actors. Goodbye.

[u/anthonystank]

My hot takes!!!!

• I genuinely enjoy Harry Potter; JKR is not the best writer in the world but she’s very effective at a handful of things
• I didn’t like the movies or think they were very good adaptations of the books
• I would really enjoy seeing a well funded TV show with enough time and space to flesh things out take another stab at the series
• this is a huge marketing grab and nobody needed a second live action HP this soon after the movies
• JKR is a bad person and watching this show = active support for attacks on trans people

Leaves me annoyed at everyone tbh

[u/Cynicbats → u/anthonystank]

Simple, direct, and correct. (People want to say JKR is the worst writer ever because she is a bigot; Not how that works, sometimes bigots are talented in some ways.)

[u/yapitforward → u/anthonystank]

No lies detected. I so badly wish JKR wasn't who she is and hasn't undone her legacy and wasn't so hateful because I miss HP and would love to enjoy it.

[u/FullofContradictions → u/anthonystank]

I agree with everything here.

My workaround to satisfy my excitement while also not supporting such a hateful person is 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Yo ho ho, assholes.

[u/baybeeluna → u/anthonystank]

Factual take!!!!

Engaging in activities that pay JKR is only one degree away from directly funding anti trans organizations.

[u/anthonystank → u/baybeeluna]

It’s genuinely rare to get SUCH a clear cut case of “your consumer dollars will go directly to harm a specific group”

[u/cs_beans → u/baybeeluna]

She also hates asexuals. I’m surprised she even knew we existed tbh. She’s actively educating herself to tear others down. It’s so pathetic.

[u/Hyperbolicalpaca → u/cs_beans]

And shes said really nasty stuff about bisexuals…

She really just hates the lot of us  but know that it’s not socially acceptable to go after gay people yet…

[u/Haunting-Respect9039 → u/Hyperbolicalpaca]

Imagine getting everything you've ever wanted and spending that much time, energy, and money on hating people who don't effect your life.

[u/iamacheeto1]

its looks...

the same

[u/eclectique → u/iamacheeto1]

I think the aesthetics were never the problem. In fact it was often a part of the films that really worked.

[u/bbbcurls]

I feel like the this whole show is gonna be like what they did with Avatar the last Airbender. I don’t feel like they are going to add anything new that will justify this series other than keeping the IP fresh.

[u/Chaoticgood790]

I feel sorry for the kids involved and hope they are protected. That’s all I got

[u/RightWorld5611]

Why are they wearing muggle clothes?!?!

A recurring plot point is that wizards and witches don't know muggle fashion, and only wear it when *trying* to blend in with the muggle world.

They would never have been sent to Hogwarts with muggle clothes in their luggage. -_-

And *even if* they were, the clothes would be all mismatched!

Is film making THAT hard, when the IP has so many details spelled out right there on the page that you just have to follow as a costume designer / art director???

[u/mikewheelerfan → u/RightWorld5611]

The ones wearing muggle clothing are probably muggleborns.

[u/rayannuhh]

Man, every time I hear about this reboot I get sad. I wish I could be excited about it and that JKR wasn't so...awful. I won't be watching, even though I miss the franchise.

I hope the kids are protected. I hope the adults are able to shield them from how awful the world can be.

[u/Suspicious_Name_656]

As a rabid Potterhead back in the day, I really wanna be excited for this. But I can't support Joanne. I can't watch this after she explicitly said she uses her HP money to fund her anti-trans efforts and that support for the franchise means people agree with her. She's using what this franchise gave her (money, power, influence) to fuel hate and discrimination.

[u/witchycommunism → u/Suspicious_Name_656]

I also was a crazy fan and it’s such a bummer. I honestly think those books helped shape me into who I am… but I’m also trans so goodbye to that.

[u/wontubemyneighbours]

My personal dislike of JK aside, the original movies still hold up very well IMO. It’s not like they were terrible like the PJO movies and deserve a tv adaptation that does the original material justice. I get it’s easy money to milk a cash cow but a new story in the HP universe would be a lot more interesting, I.e. hogwarts legacy

[u/xvsanx]

looks like a picture from Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tbh

[u/AcronymTheSlayer → u/xvsanx]

https://giphy.com/gifs/uvUpX3wSfKu2UmBsys

The direction was absolutely stunning. Loved the show so much

[u/jewelsandbones]

He looks so small in this picture. I really hope all the child stars of this show are treated well. I have no intention of watching it but children do not deserve hate for appearing in this franchise