A beloved book series turned into a movie franchise, Harry Potter is definitely something we’ve all been exposed to in our lifetime either in book or movie format or both. If you are unfamiliar with the series, it’s time to get out from under that rock and join the rest of us up here. The weather’s great, so come on out!
But seriously, HBO Max (rebranding as Max) just announced that the beloved franchise will be getting a reboot in the form of a TV show. We thought fans would be ecstatic off the bat, but that isn’t quite the case… Many people believe that the franchise should remain untouched, and that anything beyond the original films would never be up to par. Fantastic Beasts had mixed reactions, with the fourth and fifth films in the series being cancelled due to the poor performance of the third.
Harry Potter’s Creator – The JK Rowling Scandals?
Regarding the author, it’s no secret that Rowling’s income is falling and she’s had multiple scandals in the past few years. A lot of people have chosen to stop supporting her and even go as far as boycotting any new material coming out. She’s going to be the executive producer, so the series will be no exception to the boycott. It’s also been speculated that the original actors wouldn’t be returning due to their indirect criticisms towards Rowling and her beliefs. Harry Potter fans have separated her from the franchise, and try their best not to support her in any way possible.
There’s also the question of who’s playing who, and while HBO hasn’t said anything about the cast, the original actors will not be returning. Personally, this is a huge reason why I won’t be watching the reboot. The original cast was perfect and I can’t imagine them being replaced. HBO hasn’t said anything about the potential actors yet, however there is speculation they are looking to bring on a more diverse cast.
The series is said to span out over a decade (yes, 10 whole years) and follow the events of the books closely. This has made a lot of people look forward to the reboot, because if you’ve read the books and seen the movies, you’d know how much was left out on the big screen. On the other hand, fans are afraid they’ll forget key scenes once again and leave out crucial character-defining moments. (Anyone remember when Hermione put Rita Skeeter in a jar?) There’s also the dilemma of some books being longer than others, and how they’re planning to split the timeline up.
All in all, whether the reboot will sink or float is a question that can’t be answered immediately. The amount of mixed reactions online is astounding, with some people waiting their whole lives for a Harry Potter tv show, and other people scared to see what is produced. Will you be watching the reboot?