10 Harsh Realities HBO’s Harry Potter Remake Can’t Avoid

The Harry Potter remake is one of HBO’s biggest upcoming projects, but there are some harsh realities the TV series faces ahead of its debut. The first season of the Harry Potter TV show isn’t expected until 2026, but it’s starting to make progress when it comes to casting. And the divided reactions even to the first casting rumors suggest that the adaptation has significant hurdles to overcome, many of which are unavoidable.

Although Harry Potter is one of Warner Bros.’ biggest IPs, its TV show is going to have to make choices regarding how it wants to handle its source material and the inevitable movie comparisons. Those are just a couple of challenges facing HBO’s reboot, which could very well still find success — but to do so, it will need to acknowledge certain truths head-on.

10

It’s Not Clear Who The Intended Audience Of The Harry Potter Remake Is

HBO’s TV Show Must Appeal To Multiple Groups

One of the harshest realities about the Harry Potter remake is that the intended audience isn’t entirely clear, and this could make it hard to market the series to potential viewers. Given HBO’s use of similar imagery and phrasing when discussing the show on X, it seems like Warner Bros. is banking on fans of the movies embracing the upcoming reboot. However, the movies are still fairly recent and well-received, raising questions about whether people really want a new iteration of this story.

The generation that grew up on Harry Potter has also aged out of the series. Although it’s a running joke that millennials are still obsessed, the upcoming show will need to win over younger generations, too, if it hopes to stay relevant long-term. That presents another challenge, as newcomers will need more than movie nostalgia to be drawn in. Straying too far from the films — and the books they’re based on — could upset longtime fans, however. Needless to say, Harry Potter must contend with the multiple and sometimes contradictory groups it must appeal to.

9

HBO’s TV Show Has An Impossible Line To Walk When It Comes To The Movies

It Can’t Afford To Be Too Similar Or Too Different

Even if fans of the Harry Potter movies are willing to check out the upcoming remake, the show has an impossible balancing act to do when it comes to its predecessors. Because the films are so recent and well-known, there will inevitably be comparisons between the adaptations. And this forces the reboot to make a decision that puts it in a no-win situation: whether it should lean into the nostalgia of the prior adaptations or take a sharp turn away from them. Ideally, the series will find a way to do both, but walking that line is easier said than done.

The Harry Potter show should strive to recapture the magic of the movies, as that’s what fans are looking for from the Wizarding World. However, being too similar could prove a death sentence for the remake, raising questions about why it needed to happen in the first place. The reboot will need to find some way of setting itself apart and justifying its existence, but it can’t go too far off the rails either. If it strays from the source material too much, it will lose another portion of its potential viewership: avid fans of the books.

8

It Will Need To Choose Between Being Faithful To The Books & Telling Stories Readers Want More Of

Readers May Not Agree On What Should Be Expanded

Another reality the Harry Potter remake can’t avoid is that it’s going to upset fans of the books, no matter what approach it takes to the source material. A perfect adaptation is impossible, and while HBO’s show could get a lot closer than the movies, it’s probably going to stray at some point. After all, its runtime is useful for ensuring everything is covered — but eight or more episodes will also leave room for expansion. It’s already been confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy will be used to fill in the series, and it will probably draw out certain subplots from the books.

To be fair, many readers who want a faithful adaptation are eager to see certain narratives expanded on, from the Marauders’ backstory to Dumbledore’s tragic childhood. However, not everyone will agree on which subplots warrant further exploration or how to go about that. This will no doubt result in complaints from book purists and even readers who simply have something else in mind. The Harry Potter show will need to be careful with what it adds and expands on, requiring more careful balance.

7

The Cast Will Be Compared To The Previous Actors, No Matter How Good They Are

Clearly, movie and book comparisons will be the Harry Potter show’s biggest obstacle. But while many aspects of all three iterations will be held up against one another, the casting is going to be the most difficult change for the remake to sell. The cast of the Harry Potter films is iconic, and all the stars have become synonymous with their characters, even if they don’t quite match the descriptions of their book counterparts. With so many fans having the image of the prior actors in their heads, it’ll be an adjustment to get used to the new Harry Potter cast.

And this will be the case, no matter how impressive the HBO series’ new cast is. The remake bringing on John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore reveals that it’s committed to finding seasoned talent, as does the show’s Snape and McGonagall plan. But viewers will remember these characters as the actors who played them first, and this could prove distracting and hurt the new show.

6

Drawing From The Hogwarts Legacy Games Will Be A Double-Edged Sword

The Harry Potter Remake Risks Alienating Those Who Don’t Play The Games

The Harry Potter show’s plan to include details from the Hogwarts Legacy games is exciting news for those familiar with them — but it could prove an unpopular decision otherwise. With some longtime fans hoping for a more faithful rendering of the Harry Potter books, adding content from outside the original series could be controversial, even if it’s technically canon. Those who don’t recognize that certain additions are from Hogwarts Legacy and its sequel may be inclined to criticize them as deviations from the source material.

That’s not to mention that such additions will need to be handled with care. Even viewers more open to deviations won’t appreciate having details shoehorned into the story for the sake of referencing the games. The HBO show will need to ensure that blending the two entities feels natural; otherwise, it shouldn’t bother.

5

Streaming Production Timelines Could Make Later Seasons Complicated

The Main Harry Potter Cast’s Ages Could Become A Problem Later On

Modern streaming shows take a long time to churn out new seasons, and this will likely be the case for the Harry Potter series. Considering that the books tell a coming-of-age story that covers Harry’s education from one year to the next, this could become a problem down the line. The Harry Potter show’s new Golden Trio will probably be around the same ages as their characters when season 1 opens. However, two- to three-year gaps between outings could result in drastic changes in their appearances by the time the later books are adapted.

The actors looking significantly older when the reboot reaches Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows could take viewers out of the story, making their on-screen ages less believable. This is a problem that has become a concern for other projects featuring younger stars as well, including Disney+’s Percy Jackson show and Netflix’s One Piece. The Harry Potter movies were on a fairly tight production schedule, so they didn’t struggle with this as much.

4

Certain Details From Harry Potter Haven’t Aged That Well

The Remake Will Have To Consider Its Modern Audience

Like many books from the ’90s and early 2000s, the Harry Potter series features things that haven’t aged well, including outdated tropes and characterizations that read as offensive in hindsight. The upcoming remake will need to face this harsh reality so that it can decide how to handle characters and storylines that might not work for a more modern audience. For example, many early descriptions of Dudley Dursley come off as fatphobic, and the TV show will no doubt receive harsh criticism if it handles the character in the same manner.

The books’ house-elf subplot, which depicts the creatures as embracing their own enslavement, and the criticism that the goblins perpetuate harmful Jewish stereotypes — a controversy Jon Stewart discussed — are other examples. Even Snape’s character arc could use some cleaning up, as his obsession with Lily and treatment of his students doesn’t hold up years later. The Harry Potter reboot will need to grapple with these issues, as well as any similar shortcomings, if it hopes to succeed.

3

The Fantasy Landscape Is Much Bigger Than When The Harry Potter Books & Movies First Came Out

The TV Show Will Have Hefty Competition

The Harry Potter books and movies were novel for their time; indeed, many of the fantasy projects that came out immediately after were doing their best to replicate Harry Potter‘s formula. However, the genre’s offerings are much vaster nowadays. Fantasy TV has absolutely blown up in the wake of Game of Thrones, fantasy and romantasy books have become more mainstream, and even films are doing a better job of bringing the category to the screen. Needless to say, HBO’s remake will face far more worthy competition than the movies ever did.

With competitors like Disney’s Percy Jackson, Netflix’s One Piece, and even Prime Video’s The Rings of Power, HBO needs to ensure its reboot stands out — not just against the former films, but also when it comes to other ongoing fantasy shows. Given how unique the Wizarding World is, this shouldn’t be too harsh of a reality to tackle. That said, the creators shouldn’t count on established IP alone to drive its success.

2

The Fantastic Beasts Movies Prove That The Harry Potter IP Isn’t Enough On Its Own

The Remake Can’t Expect To Succeed Based On The Title Alone

While the Harry Potter IP remains massive, the Fantastic Beasts movies prove that more is needed to create a successful Wizarding World project. The Fantastic Beasts movies ignored what made Harry Potter great, and they eventually saw the effects of that in their box office returns. Fantastic Beasts 4 likely isn’t even happening, highlighting that being connected to the Wizarding World isn’t a guarantee of success.

The upcoming show needs to learn from this, acknowledging that it can’t simply bank on its recognizable title and the original series’ popularity. It needs to put effort into understanding what viewers want, and that likely means addressing some of the other challenges on this list.

1

Recent Backlash To J.K. Rowling Could Hurt Viewership Numbers

There Are Already Discussions About Boycotting The Show

There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling’s comments about the trans community over the past few years. It started in 2018, when Rowling was criticized for tweeting in support of Maya Forstater, a British tax attorney whose contract wasn’t renewed by the Centre for Global Development after she shared her views on transgender people online. Rowling has since continued to make controversial statements on the subject on social media, and it has led to backlash from former fans, GLAAD, and even Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

Despite this, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed that Rowling is “fairly involved” in the upcoming remake. Rowling’s stance on trans issues has already led to boycotts of the Wizarding World and its properties (via Los Angeles Times), and there are calls to boycott the HBO show as well. This is likely to impact the upcoming Harry Potter reboot to some extent, potentially hurting viewership, depending on how far-reaching the movement against the series is.

Source: X, GLAAD, Los Angeles Times