In its prime, Warner Bros’ Harry Potter film franchise took J.K. Rowling’s sprawling Wizarding World saga and turned it into 8 truly magical films. Of course, this has only led fans of The Boy Who Lived to believe that sooner or later, a Harry Potter TV series would be in the works. And with Warner Bros being part of the same family as HBO Max, that’s a prospect that feels all the more possible.
It’s a prospect that has inspired a varied spectrum of reactions, and especially in today’s context, we’re pretty positive about the reasons why Harry Potter should definitely become an HBO Max original series. Raise your wands, and prepare the correct incantations, as we’re about to conjure eight reasons Hogwarts should be brought to HBO Max.
All Of The Harry Potter Books Are Already Written
When the Harry Potter films were being made for theatrical release, there was still a bit of a lag between the books being published and the movies being written. So the films were more of an episodic affair, rather than one that could work from the entire canvas in one shot. Should HBO Max adapt the books into a brand new TV series, that means all of the foreshadowing and easter eggs a fan could dream of from later books could be built into from day one.
Almost A Decade Has Passed Since The Last Harry Potter Movie
Aside from the Fantastic Beasts portion of the franchise, the proper Harry Potter saga has been absent for some time. Though only four years have passed since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child went to print, we’ve seen almost a decade pass between now and the release of the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. J.K. Rowling’s epic saga feels ripe for a TV reinterpretation, considering how long it’s been since the series has had its day at the movies.
People Have Expected A Harry Potter TV Series Remake For Some Time
Even when the original run of theatrical films was still being released, fans joked about how a TV series adaptation of Harry Potter would eventually right those supposed wrongs. If HBO Max were to announce a brand new series this very moment, not even Daniel Radcliffe himself would bat an eye in surprise, as this is a moment people have anticipated for some time now. Which just leaves either the shock of delight or the scorn of disapproval to be had by those attached to their memories of the franchise.
His Dark Materials Has Proven That A Harry Potter Series Could Work
Even if 2007’s film adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass isn’t quite in the league of excellence as the Harry Potter films, that very franchise’s jump to TV still serves as an inspiration for how J.K. Rowling’s series could be brought to HBO Max rather effectively. As the extended approach to adapting a Potter book would allow the story to breathe, being told in a more prolonged fashion, His Dark Materials’ HBO success is the perfect case study for how and why Harry Potter belongs on the streaming service.
There’s A Lot Of Material That Was Never Adapted Into The Harry Potter Movies
Any book series brought to the big screen has had to make sacrifices when it comes to which stories to tell, and which ones to cut, in their cinematic adaptation. Harry Potter dropped entire characters and subplots throughout its cinematic run, seen perhaps most notably in the fact that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is both the longest book and shortest movie in the Wizarding World. An HBO Max series would allow stories like Hermione’s work pertaining to House-elf rights, and characters like the mischievous ghost Peeves to be reintegrated into their proper places in the story.
Fantastic Beasts’ Film Franchise Could Easily Be Tied Into The Harry Potter Series
J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts screenplays are supposed to expand upon a previous era of wizarding history we’d only ever learned small snippets about in the Harry Potter series. Now, with those stories being written in greater detail throughout that new batch of films, an HBO Max series could tie those details into Harry Potter’s adventures all the better. So instead of being totally blindsided by new familial relations in prominent wizarding families, the overall canon can be adjusted to better integrate those vital details for the combined audience of series newcomers and classic fans.
It Could Lead To A TV Adaptation Of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child
As a massive two-part spectacle of stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s eventual adaptation is another subject fans have speculated about since its debut. Much as an HBO Max series would help tie the Fantastic Beasts past into the Wizarding World all the better, such an enterprise could lead to the eight Harry Potter story being brought in front of cameras. And by time such a show reaches the point that this story could be adapted, there’s a good chance that the original Harry Potter film cast could reprise their roles, as more than enough time will have passed for them to age into that story’s timeframe.
JK Rowling Could Make Changes Or Adjustments To The Story If She Wanted To
Perhaps the greatest reason that Harry Potter should become an HBO Max original series is the fact that, much like Game of Thrones did with its later seasons, there’s room to artistically diverge from the intended path of the franchise. There may be aspects to the original story that J.K. Rowling has a new perspective on all these years later. A TV show would give her the opportunity to explore the characters' stories in a different way, if she chose to. Or, if Rowling wants to take the Stephen King route, she could write new material leading to a radically changed ending when all is said and done.
Talking up a Harry Potter series for HBO Max is purely hypothetical, as Warner Bros hasn’t announced any plans to engage in such an enterprise just yet. It’s not for lack of motivation though, as there’s plenty of reasons for why such a series could work beautifully, if done right. At this moment, the third Fantastic Beasts film is a priority, but don’t be surprised if the near future brings an owl delivered envelope proclaiming that Harry Potter will be coming to a TV screen near you.
