Is a Harry Potter Series Really Necessary? Pros and Cons of Doing It

Harry Potter is more alive than ever! Recently, Max, which is the new name of the streaming service "HBO Max", announced that they will carry out an extremely ambitious project: the adaptation of the Harry Potter novels in a series format, in what can be considered as a rebooted.

We say that it can be “considered” since, in reality, the original events of the books will not be modified. Yes, there will be differences in relation to the movies, since there are several events that have not been shown on the tapes. In addition, having more hours to explore these stories will mean a more faithful representation.

This production, which will be under the review of J. K. Rowling, has sparked numerous criticisms among fans. I mean, on the one hand, there are those who are really excited to see news about the "world's most famous magician." On the other, there are those who do not want a new adaptation and believe that it will be problematic. Therefore, let's see pros and cons of this possible new story.

Pro: More Narrative Time

This has been one of the main complaints that the Harry Potter movies have had. That is to say, since they were adaptations of the books, due to the length of the productions it was really very difficult to show absolutely all the events. Then, the inevitable happened: cuts in subplots that many considered important.

There will be many more hours here to represent everything that has been left out of the initial films. For example, events like Snape's test in The Philosopher's Stone and even characters like Peeves will surely be in this new production. The challenge will be to adequately manage that time difference, without adding filler frames.

Pro: Artistic Uniformity

This is one of the points that has also been criticized in the movies. And it is very simple to explain: all the films have a different artistic interpretation, which depends on each director. For example, the first two are very similar in aesthetics, but this breaks noticeably in the third. And so on.

If the same creative director is maintained here throughout the saga, it is possible that we will see a greater uniformity of everything that concerns Hogwarts, which would generate greater narrative coherence. Who will be in charge of carrying it out?

Pro: Advancement of Technology

Finally, another one of the pros. Although Harry Potter is a fairly recent film saga, some important cinematographic issues were not yet advanced, such as some special effects or the use of Artificial Intelligence to retouch faces. And all this is something that can be used in the saga!

As a result, it will be possible to have much more impressive environments. And it will even be possible to improve some things that have been criticized, such as fights with magic wands. If the production does a good job, advancing technology can dramatically improve some aspects of the original movies that have become outdated.

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Against: Constant Comparison

We start with one of the most crucial problems. Harry Potter has been one of the most popular movie sagas of all time. For this reason, when we talk about his character, we imagine Daniel Radcliffe. The same happens with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) or Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint).

What do we mean by this? That, if they have been actors who have found it difficult to get out of their characters, the reverse could also happen. To what extent will “creative freedom” be allowed to choose the new protagonists? Therefore, those who put themselves in their shoes will surely have constant criticism from fans.

Against: the Temporary Extension

This is a challenge that is not typical of television series. As mentioned, the initial plan is to adapt the 7 books over 10 years, which implies a time equal to that of the films (which began in 2001 and ended in 2011). The problem here is the fear that initially occurred in these films.

It is none other than the growth of the actors, since if any of them do not want to continue in the story, it would harm the narrative fidelity. The same happens if they grow too big or if production falls behind. We must not forget that it is still a story about students, which would not be very faithful in case of seeing adult characters.

Against: a Production to the Height

While this is supposed to be guaranteed, since it will be Max's big gamble to draw in an audience, there are some doubts. Each season of the series should have budgets similar to or higher than those of the movies. And, due to the theme it represents, there must be a really very important expense.

But the concern here is that there is already something to compare against. That is to say, the Hogwarts castle of this series will immediately be related to that of the original tapes. And, for the time that has passed, it is supposed to represent the original spirit, but with improvements in quality. Will they get it?

In short, there is a new Harry Potter series announced, which has divided the audience. And you, are you excited or are you afraid that they will “ruin” what you have achieved?