'Harry Potter' Is Getting A TV Reboot With A Brand New Cast & Fans Have So Many Feelings
HBO Max is officially rebooting the classic Harry Potter books as a scripted television series, and that means Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will be handing over their wands to a new generation.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the reboot on April 12, and while there are no names attached to it yet, they did say the show will feature an entirely different cast from the original movies.
We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, per Variety. "Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World."
The show will launch on HBO MAX, which will soon be rebranded as simply MAX in the future. No release date has been set, but the series is expected to run for a "decade."
The streamer posted a brief teaser on social media showing a bunch of floating candles, along with the classic score from the original films.
"Your Hogwarts letter is here," the message reads, adding that the new TV series will be a "faithful adaptation of the iconic books."
\u201cYour Hogwarts letter is here. \n\nMax has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books. #StreamOnMax\u201d— HBO Max (@HBO Max) 1681322876
Potter fans were grappling with a lot of feelings in the comments, with some eager to see a new adaptation and others unwilling to let the old cast go.
"The movies were perfect. Please don't," wrote one user on Twitter.
\u201c@hbomax Keep it\u201d— HBO Max (@HBO Max) 1681322876
"Do something new, don't reboot," added another.
Many fans said there's simply no way to recast Harry, Hermione and Ron for a generation that grew up with them on screen.
\u201c@hbomax You could never outdo the goats\u201d— HBO Max (@HBO Max) 1681322876
"Aren't the movies adaptations of the books?" another fan chimed in. "Tell new stories not the same ones over and over."
The reactions were pretty similar over on Instagram, although there were a few fans who embraced the idea of an even more faithful adaptation from the books.
"Finally!" wrote one person. "The movies were good, but the books were so much better. Hopefully HBO can keep true to the books. For those that didn't read them and only watch the movies, they miss so much. With the right budget, writers, and cast, this could be exceptional."
The reboot news comes a few months after Warner Bros. announced that it will also reboot the original Lord Of The Rings movies, despite the middling fan response to Amazon's Rings Of Power spinoff and the trove of Oscars that the original trilogy took home.
Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling said she'll be involved in the new show.
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” Rowling said in the news release.
Rowling has become a divisive figure among fans and the public in general over the last several years, after repeatedly attacking transgender people on social media.
The reboot comes at a rough time for the franchise, after its Fantastic Beasts spinoff failed to capture the same success of the original Potter films.
It's unclear when they'll start casting for the show, but you should start working on your accent if you want to spend the next decade of your life at Hogwarts.
Maybe the Sorting Hat will choose you for HBO!
