OPINION — I’ll never forget the sheer magic Harry Potter brought to every household when I was a child.
My dad and I would brave the freezing British weather to queue at midnight when a new book was released, crowds of little faces lighting up as staff handed out copies dressed aptly as witches and wizards.
Then, when the movies came to the cinema, we were all completely spellbound.
Harry, Ron and Hermione instantly became living legends in the playground, and we’d keep the magic alive by sitting up all night playing the low-res PlayStation game until our fingers burned.
I’d never have suspected that decades later, HBO Max would announce that a “faithful adaptation” of the books would be recreated in a new TV series.
The series is set to air in 2026, with a brand new cast filling the same roles made famous by the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
I always wanted to return to Hogwarts, but I never thought it would be like this.
The first cast announcement was made this week: John Lithgow will be Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Luke Thallon was announced as the villainous Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as grumpy caretaker Argus Filch.
The question of who will take on the main three characters has yet to be answered.
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In my opinion, the newly announced cast are all incredibly talented and each will undoubtedly bring something new to the characters – but it’s the plot that has me baffled.
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The Harry Potter universe is brimming with untapped potential, yet instead of exploring these fresh stories we’re rehashing the same story we’ve read, watched and played many, many times before.
There are plenty of examples of where the universe has been explored in a fresh way that delights fans, old and new. (And some that weren’t so great, but you can’t nail it every single time.)
When the computer game Hogwarts Legacy was released in 2023, I think they got it bang on.
With graphics that had me gasping from the moment the Sorting Hat put me into Hufflepuff, that game took us into the wizarding world with a whole new perspective; all new characters, new places to explore and a plot that was fresh (albeit, at times a little slow) which kept us wanting more.
It’s since sold over 30 million copies, 12 million in its first two weeks alone.
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The fact that Universal Orlando’s new theme park, Universal Epic Universe, features a new ride based entirely around the Ministry of Magic, is another example.
The ride is set in a full-scale environment in 1920s wizarding Paris, with riders witnessing the trial of Dolores Umbridge known for her controversial role in the wizarding world.
It’s a brand new story that isn’t found in any Harry Potter franchise or film, therefore expanding the world beyond the originals.
While the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint certainly brought magic to their roles in the movies, the game and ride prove it’s the spellbinding setting of Hogwarts and all its magic that is the true star of the show.
Revisiting the movies so soon after it was made seems like a risky decision to me – you wouldn’t recreate the entirety of The Lord of the Rings scene-by-scene when it’s already cinematic perfection.
But despite my fears, I hope I’m completely wrong.
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I hope this series will allow for different stories to be developed and secrets to be unearthed, and that the main plot could almost be simply a backbone for the franchise to expand in ways we never even dreamed of.
And with the buzz around this adaptation already running rife years before we’ll ever get to see it, I’m sure there’s magic brewing behind the scenes that will ensure it’s as spectacular as we hope.
When the first episode drops in years to come, I’ll probably still have that same gleeful feeling I had as a little girl waiting to read the next chapters of the book.
Do I wish we were getting a completely original storyline? Absolutely.
But no matter how many times I eye-roll at the idea of a retelling, that magical feeling of childhood nostalgia overrides it.
Let’s just hope the decision turns out to be a charm, rather than a curse.
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