After Warner Bros. announced it would be revitalizing J.K. Rowling’s children’s fantasy book series, it was clear that Harry Potter fervor would never die. Even though the feature film franchise ended a decade and a half ago, that didn’t stop the production company from rebooting it. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint may never leave fans’ hearts as the Golden Trio, but now everyone will have to contend with a new ensemble cast.
There are some benefits to adapting Harry Potter into a premium cable television series. A Harry Potter show will be able to tackle every single second of material left on the cutting room floor of the film series. Perhaps now Harry will have the romance with Ginny that did not quite stick the landing the first time around. Missing sequences like the Gaunts will also get a live-action adaptation for the first time. Despite this potential, Warner Bros. has perhaps stretched itself too far and overpromised regarding the release of the new Harry Potter series.
Warner Bros. Declares ‘Harry Potter’ Will Be the Biggest Streaming Event Ever
Backlash against Harry Potter and the series’ author has not stopped HBO from putting all its eggs in the wizarding world basket. Not only is the potentially long-running series going forward, but the streamer is investing a massive budget into the project. J.B. Perrette, the streaming chief of Warner Bros. Discovery, also expressed an unrealistic expectation for the rollout of the series.
“[Harry Potter will be] the biggest streaming event in the history of HBO Max and arguably in streaming, period,” the CEO stated during a recent event in London. It now makes sense why the series is sparing no expense, but that is an incredibly large pair of shoes to fill. The Harry Potter brand is doing a lot of heavy lifting, considering the controversies surrounding the property that may alienate some viewers.
“In the series you can go deeper, and tell more of the pieces that you didn’t capture in a two-hour movie,” Perrette continued. “Casey [Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content] doesn’t like me saying this, but I really think this is the streaming event of the decade.”
Perrette has one thing right. Harry Potter will have all the time in the world to include elements from the book that were missed the first time around. Even so, this may not be the blessing it seems. Despite its faults, the Harry Potter movie franchise captured the minds and imaginations of everyone who watched it. Theaters were flooded with fans every year, increasing until the highly anticipated finale. Harry Potter popularized the trend of splitting an adaptation into two parts, attracting even more viewers to the final goodbye. No matter what this potential streaming phenomenon offers, it is unlikely to muster that much fanfare.
As magical as Harry Potter is, this franchise has been done, and capturing the magic was practically a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Fans now are more interested in original content where stories feel new and refreshing. Harry Potter will likely bring many subscribers to HBO, but it is not guaranteed that the series will reach those heights when the bar is set so high.
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
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Mark Mylod