From controversial casting choices to franchise fatigue, the upcoming Harry Potter TV series is already facing significant backlash. Join us as we explore why fans are skeptical about HBO's latest venture into the wizarding world, examining everything from production concerns to behind-the-scenes drama.
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00:00Harry, it isn't how you are alike, it's how you are not.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 10 reasons why the new Harry Potter show on HBO is facing controversy.
00:14Professor, what is that?
00:19Something beyond either of our help.
00:23A remake is not warranted.
00:25One of the most obvious reasons for its hate is, well, its very existence.
00:30Many fans are of the opinion that a remake is not warranted, especially considering the age of the franchise.
00:35The last Harry Potter movie came out as recently as 2011, and they all stand up well to this day.
00:40What are those? What are those?
00:43My dress robes.
00:44They're alright. No lace, no dodgy little collar.
00:49Well, I expect yours are more traditional.
00:51Traditional? They're ancient.
00:53You know, minus some wonky effects in the first movie.
00:56And even those who like the idea of a new adaptation are against the concept of a live-action remake.
01:01I wasn't the only one who thought you'd done it.
01:03Everyone's showing it behind your back.
01:08Brilliant. That makes me feel loads better.
01:10Instead, they argue that HBO should have made an animated show.
01:13The style would be in keeping with the story's whimsical tone, and it would differentiate the show from the films.
01:18HBO went with the worst option possible.
01:21It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.
01:28It's solely profit-driven.
01:30Mr. Harry Potter wishes to make a withdrawal.
01:35And does Mr. Harry Potter have his key?
01:40Let's be honest here. HBO did not do this out of some desire to craft a lasting piece of work.
01:46They did it to make money. And lots of it.
01:48Sure, the structure of television and its longer-running times will allow the books to be more accurately adapted,
01:54which is what fans have been clamouring for for years.
01:57But HBO doesn't care about pleasing fans of the books.
02:00Didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, though, did you?
02:03They're pandering to nostalgia and milking a popular franchise until its corpse is a withered husk.
02:09The Fantastic Beasts movies weren't the success that Warner Brothers hoped,
02:12so they turned to HBO to just do the books.
02:15Again.
02:16The fans are seeing through it, and they are not happy.
02:20Anything off the trolley, dears?
02:22No, thanks.
02:24I'm all set.
02:29We'll take the lot.
02:34Whoa.
02:36It won't recapture the magic of the films.
02:38You'll be okay, Harry.
02:40You're a great wizard.
02:42You really are.
02:43Not as good as you.
02:46Remaking Harry Potter is like remaking The Godfather.
02:49You just don't do it.
02:51While the storytelling is admittedly flawed, the technical aspects of the films are second to none,
02:55and they hold a very special place in the hearts of millions of fans.
02:58The iconic cast, filled with some of the most popular British actors in history.
03:03The gorgeous sets and filming locations that brought Hogwarts to life.
03:07The music.
03:08Oh man, the music.
03:09These things are all firmly ingrained in the minds and memories of an entire generation,
03:29and they are all part of a lasting cultural legacy.
03:32Call us pessimists, but there's just no way that the show will be able to recapture that sense of magic.
03:37No pun intended.
03:40Expecto Patronum!
03:43Curious Writer Statements
03:45Curious.
03:49Very curious.
03:51Back in 2024, The Watch host, Andy Greenwald, talked about his upcoming job as a writer on the show,
03:57and what he said did not reassure fans.
04:00In fact, it just made them even angrier.
04:02Greenwald claimed that he had not read all of the books, a fact that upsets die-hard fans who expect a professional writer working on an adaptation to be familiar with the source material.
04:12Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?
04:27No, he doesn't have to have Harry Potter wiki knowledge, but to have not even read them?
04:31It also begs the question on why he took the job in the first place.
04:35We have one idea, and it's obviously not to work on a project that he is passionate about.
04:39I shouldn't have said that.
04:40I should not have said that.
04:43I shouldn't have said that.
04:44Fan Division.
04:45It also doesn't help that the Harry Potter fandom is already deeply divided as it is, which doesn't bode well for the reception of the show.
05:01Some are excited about a new adaptation that will accurately capture the nuances and depth of the novels.
05:07Others think that the movies are perfect.
05:08Is this all real?
05:11Or is it just happening inside my head?
05:13Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry.
05:17Why should that mean that it's not real?
05:20Some thinks HBO is the right home for a project of this magnitude.
05:24Others think that TV won't do the books justice.
05:26Some that don't care about the whole J.K. Rowling controversy are on board with more Harry Potter.
05:32Others have vowed not to touch the franchise again.
05:34It's pretty much a lose-lose scenario for HBO.
05:38No matter what they do, someone is going to be upset.
05:41Severus.
05:52Please.
05:53The Limitations of TV
05:54This lot won't come cheap, ma'am.
05:56The spell books alone are very expensive.
05:58As we mentioned, some fans don't like the idea of a Harry Potter adaptation being on TV, sensing the budgetary limitations of the medium.
06:06There are very few shows that match the cinematic ambitions of the films, except maybe Game of Thrones, which admittedly HBO pulled off.
06:13There was a ton of money thrown at the Harry Potter films to give them a cinematic scope, money that HBO may not have.
06:20But Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money.
06:25For example, the Half-Blood Prince cost $250 million to make, and that was just for 140 minutes of screen time.
06:33With inflation, that's about $370 million.
06:36By comparison, the entire last season of Game of Thrones, totalling over seven hours, cost just over $90 million.
06:43Let's face it, the show is probably going to look cheap.
06:47Red hair and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley.
06:53Weird pacing.
06:54You're a wizard, Harry.
06:58I'm a what?
06:59A wizard. And a thumpin' goodin' I'd wager, once you trade up a little.
07:03The current plan is for HBO to adapt one book per season, but even that opens up problems.
07:09The issue with the movies is that the later films were forced to cut out large chunks of the novel to meet a reasonable running time,
07:16and the opposite will be true for the show.
07:18HBO announced that season one will comprise eight episodes.
07:22How will they stretch Philosopher's Stone into eight hours of content?
07:26Make it move.
07:31Move!
07:33Move!
07:33He's asleep.
07:35He's boring.
07:36Let's say they really take their time.
07:39Then how would they do, say, Order of the Phoenix, which is three and a half times as long?
07:44Will they do 28 episodes?
07:46Of course not.
07:47So we'll be stretched at the start and rushed at the end, opening up some major pacing issues.
07:52She needs to sort out her priorities.
07:55Following Fantastic Beasts.
07:57Mrs. Commander?
07:59Call me Newt.
08:01Newt.
08:02I don't think I'm dreaming.
08:03I'll give it away.
08:04I ain't got the brains to make this up.
08:07This new show has the very unfortunate distinction of following the Fantastic Beasts movies, which left a very sour taste in everybody's mouths.
08:15The first movie was good enough, but the wills fell off hard after that.
08:19The Crimes of Grindelwald was a mess, not to mention the lowest grossing entry in the Wizarding World franchise, with a box office gross of $654 million.
08:27Are you a ghost?
08:29No.
08:31No.
08:32I'm alive.
08:34But I'm an alchemist and therefore immortal.
08:39You don't look a day over $375.
08:40It held that distinction for four years, until The Secrets of Dumbledore beat it with just $400 million.
08:47Yes, it was released in 2022, amidst the lingering fears of COVID, but you know what else was released in 2022?
08:53Top Gun Maverick, which did $1.5 billion.
08:57Let's face it, the franchise failed.
09:00Our war with the muggles begins today!
09:05J.K. Rowling's Involvement
09:09He called me a mudblood.
09:12He did not.
09:13A lot of ink has been spilled regarding J.K. Rowling over the last couple of years.
09:18Her outspoken views have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and they have undoubtedly cast a shadow over the legacy of the franchise.
09:24And that extends to the new show.
09:26It would face controversy simply by existing, as many people have soured on the Harry Potter brand.
09:32How dare you talk to me? You filthy little mudblood!
09:37But Rowling's heavy involvement has only made it worse.
09:41Rowling is an executive producer on the show, and according to HBO CEO Casey Bloys, she is very, very involved in the behind-the-scenes process.
09:50Some would rather that Rowling divorce herself from the series.
09:53So hearing that she is so prominently involved has proved greatly upsetting.
10:00Malfoy, are you okay?
10:02Let's go!
10:04Quick!
10:05Run!
10:05That felt good.
10:08Not good. Brilliant.
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10:25Controversial casting.
10:28Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair.
10:32Your blessed father knew that.
10:34In fact, he frequently thought...
10:36My father was a great man!
10:37Your father was a swan!
10:39Well, let's address the elephant in the room first.
10:42The casting of Papa Esiedu as Snape.
10:45Not only has a major character been race-swapped, which many people don't like in the first place,
10:50but it's a character who is explicitly described as being a sickly, pale, white dude.
10:56Furthermore, it's just going to make characters like Harry and the Marauders look racist by not liking him.
11:01Spelly Armour!
11:02Nice one, James!
11:03James, finish him off!
11:05Dad.
11:05Impenimenta!
11:06Snibbler, Queenstain!
11:08Snibbler, Queenstain!
11:09Right, who wants to see me take off?
11:11Snibbler, he's trout!
11:12And of all the characters to make black, why the reformed wizard Nazi?
11:17But that's not all.
11:18John Lithgow has been cast as Dumbledore, which is also a problem because A, he's American,
11:24and B, he's 80 years old.
11:26Not to send bad juju, but we might have another Richard Harris situation on our hands.
11:31It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live.
11:36Are you looking forward to the series, or do you have doubts?
11:39Let us know in the comments below.
11:41Good luck, Harry Potter.
11:56Good luck, Harry Potter.
12:10Bye.
12:11Good luck.