Is there an audience for a television series reboot of the whole Harry Potter saga on HBO? 

Although it might not seem it, the first Harry Potter movie landed on the big screen back in 2001.

All seven books were adapted across eight movies, making instant stars of their young cast alongside the cream of British acting talent.

The books kept ahead of the movies though, unlike a certain dragon based series, with the film series winding up in 2011.

However, according to a report via Bloomberg, and picked up everywhere, Warner Bros. Discovery are now considering a retelling of the story on the small screen. While the idea’s apparently still on the drawing board, it’s suggested they would try and dramatize the events of one book across each season of the show.

As you might imagine, we have some thoughts….

Continuing the Wizarding World

With the apparent end of the Fantastic Beasts prequels, with no sign of a follow-up to 2022’s The Secrets of Dumbledore, it’s understandable that Warner Bros. wishes to get something into production. However, with their continuing popularity and new readers finding the books all the time, those eight Harry Potter films haven’t really gone away.

Added to this is the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play. Looking at the next generation of Potters and Malfoys, it trades in nostalgia for the franchise while edging the story forward. Launching in 2016, the play is now open in London, New York, Toyko, Melbourne, Hamburg and Toronto.

New Faces

The film series’ young principal cast, now in their mid-thirties, remain as closely associated with the films as ever. While Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint continue to find success in other projects – Watson particularly for her turn in the live-action version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – their faces still shine out from a ton of merchandise.

We’d question whether the viewing audience is ready for new iterations of Harry, Hermione, Ron et al. It’s not as though this is a situation like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. In that case, the films were poorly received by the fans and only two were made. Consequently, a television series with involvement from the author holds plenty of promise.

J.K. Rowling

Then there’s the real-life situation with the author of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling was keenly involved in the creation of the film franchise. However, over the past few years, her strident opinions on the issue of trans rights cannot help but be mentioned in the same breath as any of her projects.

The suggestion is that she would be involved in the new series, but not as one of the primary creatives. Can the lure of more Potter persuade people to put aside their feeling about the originator of the stories?

Too soon?

Floating the idea on a couple of junior CultBoxers, who’ve grown up on the franchise, opinions vary. The films are still loved and regularly viewed, so maybe this is just too soon?

We’ll keep you posted on any Harry Potter television series developments.