Warner Bros provided a subtle tease regarding the story in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter remake, which indicates that the series will expand on the world from the books and movies. The TV show has been toted as a book-faithful adaptation, which is certainly exciting after the significant cuts made by the Harry Potter movies. There are several important stories from the books that fans are desperate to see on screen, and a TV format is the perfect opportunity to finally make this happen. However, there are some downsides to a wholly book-faithful Harry Potter TV show.
As exciting as a full remake of Harry Potter is, this hasn’t been the most highly requested addition to the Wizarding World franchise. There are other unexplored stories set within this fantasy world that were only alluded to in the books or expanded on after the series came to a close. Though there are benefits to a book-faithful TV show, sticking strictly to the story between the pages would mean that HBO’s Harry Potter remake couldn’t expand on the Wizarding World franchise. Thankfully, it seems that this isn’t the route that Warner Bros is planning to take.
HBO’s Harry Potter TV Remake Will Incorporate Stories From Hogwarts Legacy 2
Their Creative Teams Are Coordinating
David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, has revealed that the creatives behind the video game sequel to Hogwarts Legacy are coordinating with HBO’s Harry Potter remake.Both the game and the TV show will share “big-picture storytelling elements.” Of course, it’s impossible to tell at this point what these will be since the setting and characters of Hogwarts Legacy 2 have yet to be revealed. Given the magical school’s 1,000-year history, the possibilities are nearly endless. Of course, this makes both the game and HBO’s Harry Potter remake even more exciting.
The first Hogwarts Legacy game was set near the end of the 1800s. If the upcoming game is a direct sequel, then it could follow a Hogwarts story set around the turn of the century. This is about the time that Albus Dumbledore was at school, so this could make for an interesting story for both Hogwarts Legacy 2 and the Harry Potter TV show (perhaps with some flashback episodes). Or, it’s possible that the coming video game will dive further back into Hogwarts’ history, perhaps during the time when the Hogwarts founders were still teaching classes themselves—another intriguing possibility for HBO’s remake.
More Wizarding World Stories Proves That HBO’s TV Show Is More Than A Remake
The Harry Potter TV Show Can Be Faithful To The Books While Adding A Little More
Regardless of the story elements that Hogwarts Legacy 2 and the Harry Potter TV show share, this tease from Haddad hints that the upcoming series is more than just a direct remake. It’s highly unlikely that the video game sequel would be set during Harry’s story since the first one dedicated itself to expanding the world of Harry Potter. Therefore, while HBO’s remake will faithfully adapt moments from the books, including all the big plotlines and characters that the movies missed, it should also include additional canon moments that weren’t in the existing books or films.
A series that features both Harry’s story and other moments from the Wizarding world’s history would check far more boxes.
This addresses a significant concern about the Harry Potter TV show. Fans have been requesting more media set in this world for years, and the response from Warner Bros that Harry’s central story was being remade was a bit of a letdown. There is potential here, but a direct remake would do little in the way of expanding the wider Wizarding world. Audiences want something new and exciting, and a word-for-word, scene-by-scene TV show just wouldn’t cut it. On the other hand, a series that features both Harry’s story and other moments from the Wizarding world’s history would check far more boxes.
The Harry Potter TV Series Using Hogwarts Legacy Stories Is Good News For Fantastic Beasts
This Unfinished Story Could Finally Find Some Resolution
The Harry Potter TV show won’t be limited to the Hogwarts Legacy 2 setting and story when it comes to expanding. This could be an opportunity for Warner Bros to wrap up the Fantastic Beasts movies without having to actually produce another film. This Harry Potter spinoff franchise was supposed to include five movies, but interest sputtered out following the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. There are a variety of reasons for this crash and burn, but a lack of interest in Dumbledore’s conflict with Grindelwald likely isn’t one of them. Thankfully, this story would fit perfectly with Harry Potter.
The
Fantastic Beasts
movies haven’t been officially canceled, but the franchise seems to be stuck in stasis.
The Harry Potter books made constant reference to Dumbledore’s big duel with Grindelwald, especially by the time Deathly Hallows rolled around. This was when Harry wondered the most about who Dumbledore had been as a young man, and the HBO remake could potentially take a “show, don’t tell” angle with this tale.There could be a sequence of episodes in the final season that would explore Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s falling out, as well as the big duel that Fantastic Beasts spent so much time building up to. The Harry Potter TV remake could even feature cameos from actors like Jude Law or Eddie Redmayne.
Other Ways HBO’s Harry Potter TV Show Can Expand The Wizarding World
Audiences Have Been Asking For More Stories For Decades
The events of Fantastic Beasts are only the beginning of the complex plotlines that the Harry Potter TV Show could include that the books didn’t. An in-depth Marauders story has been heavily requested ever since the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the third season of the Harry Potter remake could include some episodes featuring James and his friends’ time at Hogwarts. Going back a little further, we could also get a closer look at Hagrid’s days as a student, as well as an episode following the consequences of his expulsion.
HBO’s set could take inspiration from
Hogwarts Legacy
, including the various hamlets that surround the Hogwarts grounds in the
Harry Potter
video game.
On the note of Hogwarts Legacy, there are some elements that this video game introduced that could also be incorporated into the Harry Potter TV Show. The title established a more detailed look at Hogwarts Castle, allowing players to explore every nook and cranny. HBO’s set could take inspiration from this, including the various hamlets that surround the Hogwarts grounds in the Harry Potter video game. Ultimately, the fact that the upcoming TV remake is working so closely with another recent installment in the Wizarding World franchise means the opportunities are essentially limitless.