Less Harry! 5 things the Harry Potter series needs to do better than the movies

The first Harry Potter series is on its way. The Warner streaming service HBO Max will re-film JK Rowling’s fantasy books: one season per book. When the announcement was made, there were no big cheers. The project has rightly been criticized. Actually everything is wrong with this Harry Potter series. It starts with controversial author JK Rowling being involved as a producer – and ends with the inevitable split in the Harry Potter universe.

But if we simply ignore the many points of criticism, then the remake certainly offers opportunities. In retrospect, not everything was perfect about the popular Harry Potter films that were released between 2001 and 2012. We collected 5 points that the series can correct.

1. In the Harry Potter series, boring Harry shouldn’t always be the main focus

Harry Potter is the main character of the fantasy series, so he gets the most screentime and that’s okay too. However, Harry isn’t the most exciting person in the world, he doesn’t have much to offer other than courage and loyalty. The series needs to give Harry (and us) a break: let Hermione, Ron and Luna shine. Yes, even Draco Malfoy came up short in the movies. Not to mention in front of teachers like Lupine and McGonagall. Where and how do they actually live?

2. The Harry Potter series just can’t be faithful to the books

In the films, a number of highly interesting storylines and perspectives are only touched upon. For example, Ginny Weasley’s encounter with Tom Riddle’s diary phantom in The Chamber of Secrets could take up an entire episode in the show’s second season. So is Hagrid’s journey to his giant family in Harry Potter 5.

The series is supposed to be a “faithful” adaptation of the books. But first: nobody really knows what that means. Secondly: That sounds extremely boring. And thirdly: The authors of the series will quickly realize that a series season can be quite long and that the books maybe not even that much provide exciting material, as many fans believe. More interpretation, more freedom from the original will be required to fill the time – and surprise even hardcore fans who know the movies and books by heart.

3. More diversity in the Harry Potter cast

A major criticism of the 8 films was always the lack of diversity: Hogwarts students are usually white. There are already rumors that the series will put more emphasis on cultural and ethnic balance – both in front of and behind the camera. So Hermione could, analogous to the play The Enchanted Child, be occupied by a person of color (PoC).

4. The Harry Potter series needs more school life at Hogwarts

Especially the film adaptations of the last four books rushed from plot point to plot point due to the number of pages. The normal everyday school life rushed by and mostly went under – and that, although the school shapes the structure of the plot: Each book follows a (school) year. The Harry Potter series can be a little more soapy, as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has already done. And she’s welcome to show more Quidditch games between houses.

5. The Harry Potter series needs a Hogwarts that doesn’t look different in each part

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration: from the middle of the row, the parts somewhat follow a Hogwarts design, but not always. Until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the world was pure chaos, Hagrid’s hut and the Whomping Willow wandered several kilometers on the school grounds. The films were shaped by different directors, which is also appealing. However, the series has the chance to design a homogeneous, deep and detailed Hogwarts landscape from the beginning, which is gradually explored over seven seasons.

Podcast: Is the Harry Potter series really a good idea?

It has been speculated for a long time, now it has been confirmed: The first series in the history of Harry Potter is being produced. However, fans are divided.

In the podcast we answer important questions about the series, which Harry Potter creator JK Rowling is involved in. Below: Why is Rowling’s involvement so criticized. And what are the pros and cons of remaking the books?

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