Turning a whole movie series into a TV show may sound odd, but it’s the direction that HBO is taking with the famous Harry Potter franchise. Announced a few years ago, the show was said to be a full retelling of the story in an episodic format, with each season covering a book from J.K. Rowling’s work. With all the information we have gotten so far, it’s easy to say that this show will capture the audience.
At first glance, this seems like a waste of time, as we have already followed this journey with Harry and his friends in the movies. However, those adaptations had to cut out a ton of content from the books to properly fill in the expected runtime of a film. Much of the world-building and character development had to be retooled as well to stick more closely to the plot.
This would likely be different in the TV format, as there is far more liberty to explore the books more thoroughly in every episode, providing us more time with the characters and their escapades around Hogwarts and other locations. That will not be the only change we will see. Aside from a few actors, most of the cast from the movies will not be present for the show, which does give pause to many people who have grown up with the films.
That being said, it would be most appropriate in this instance, given the fact that most of the kid actors are now too old to reprise their roles. It will be interesting to see new interpretations of characters and what new roles they will fill in the story. This show has the potential to bring back what we enjoyed so much the first time and delve further into this world of magic.
