10 Steps To Make The New Harry Potter Remake Perfect

Harry Potter will return with a TV remake on Max, and although the fan base is divided about a reboot, there are ways to make the upcoming series perfect. The Harry Potter movies ended in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, after eight movies based on the seven books by J.K. Rowling. The Wizarding World comprises 11 movies, eight based on the eponymous novels and three spinoff films from the Fantastic Beasts prequel series, as well as a stage play, video games, theme parks, attractions, exhibitions, documentaries, a quiz show, and a reunion.

In April 2023, Warner Bros. announced Harry Potter would be returning as a TV reboot. Although it’s just a decade after the original ended, a TV series has a lot of potential to please Harry Potter fans. With that in mind, it should focus on capturing the magic of the Harry Potter books, not the movies. A Harry Potter reboot series is much better than a Cursed Child movie, and it has the opportunity to flesh out the characters, deepen the story, and take its time, staying as accurate to the source material as possible.

RELATED: 10 Retroactive Additions To Harry Potter’s Canon The Remake Needs To Ignore

10 The Harry Potter Remake Needs to Stay Closer to the Books

The Harry Potter Novels Are Very Complex

Series like Game of Thrones and movies like The Hunger Games prove there is a market for faithful adaptations, as both stay close to the source material. Although the Harry Potter movies did a great job of capturing the bigger aspects of the series, there were many instances where they changed important parts of the books. In order for the Harry Potter remake to be great, the Max series needs to stay as close to the source material as possible and avoid making unnecessary changes.

Although some changes are common when adapting a novel for the screen, adaptations shouldn’t alter major events or characters. The movies made too many changes to Harry Potter canon, whether it was by altering what Harry did with the Elder Wand or making Ron and Ginny different from their book counterparts. The TV show should avoid following in its footsteps, as it will have more time to properly bring Rowling’s story to life.

9 Fill In Plot Holes

The Wizarding World Contains Some Inconsistencies

As complex as the Wizarding World is, there are some inconsistencies within the Harry Potter books and movies that the TV show could fix. Since a TV series would have more time than a two- to three-hour movie, it would have a lot of chances to fully develop and explain decisions, objects, and spells that don’t make sense. For example, it could better explain how the Time Turners work and the spell that traces underage magic.

8 Add J.K. Rowling’s Changes

The Author Added More Details Later On

Over the years, J.K. Rowling has made a lot of canon changes to the Wizarding World that would work well in the upcoming Max series. She’s shared many revelations on Twitter and her website, Pottermore, further adding to the universe and clearing up some issues. Those changes include clarifications about how certain names should be pronounced and that Hermione’s skin color was never explicitly stated as white in the books (via CNET).

7 The Battle of Hogwarts

One Of The Series’ Best Moments

In the books, the Battle of Hogwarts is massive. The cavalry arrives at Hogwarts with wizards from the town, Kreacher leads the house elves in the fight, the centaurs join in, and a lot of characters that aren’t shown in the movie are featured. Since Max is planning to develop Harry Potter over 10 years, they would have the space for the Battle of Hogwarts to make up an entire season. It’s less likely it will take that much time, but it needs at least a few episodes to do it justice — and the Harry Potter remake could deliver better action sequences, too.

6 It Must Include Peeves And Other Magical Creatures

Peeves Is One Of Several Missing Creatures In The Movies

Peeves the Poltergeist wasn’t in the Harry Potter movies, but he was originally supposed to be played by Rik Mayall. The actor even shot a few scenes, but he was eventually cut from the film. Harry Potter fans have been adamant that Peeves should have been in the movies, and a TV remake has a chance to right that wrong and add the poltergeist. He’s the source of comedic relief and mischief in the books, and he’d fit well into a TV show.

In addition to Peeves, there are other magical creatures that should be included — and utilized properly — in the remake. Although Dobby is in the Harry Potter movies, he’s so much more important in the books. He has more storylines that don’t appear in the films, including one involving Winky, a house elf that doesn’t appear in the films. Hagrid also introduces the students to a series of magical creatures that don’t appear in the movies. For example, the Blast Ended Skrewts are missing completely from the Harry Potter adaptations.

5 The Remake Should Explore Lord Voldemort’s Past

There’s More To Voldemort Than Meets The Eye

Ralph Fiennes did a great job portraying Voldemort, but the movies didn’t fully show the villain’s potential, making him feel one-sided at times. Although there is no question that Voldemort’s evil, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince dives deeper into his motivations. There is also a lot more about his family, the Gaunts, and an explanation of why he’s unable to love and only wants power. The Max show could unravel all of this, and the Harry Potter remake could also fix Voldemort’s death. In the movie, he disintegrates during his fight with Harry. However, the books make a point of showing that Voldemort died human.

4 The Harry Potter Show Can’t Ignore the Movies

Learn From Their Failures And Success

Although the TV remake should try its best to be its own thing, it shouldn’t ignore what the Harry Potter movies did right. At the same time, the creators should also understand where the films failed and learn from their mistakes. The Harry Potter movies are a huge staple of the Wizarding World, and while fans don’t agree with every change they made, they’re still generally beloved. It’d be a shame to not take advantage of their existence to make the Harry Potter series even better.

3 The Harry Potter Remake Needs A Great Cast

Max will need to look for talent that can match the original actors

It’s no secret that the cast of the Harry Potter movies have come to be associated with their characters, and it’ll be difficult for Max’s TV adaptation to replace the Golden Trio or even stars like Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane. To recreate Harry Potter without these stars, the show will need an incredibly talented cast. They won’t just have to portray the book characters well; they’ll also have to make viewers forget that an entirely different cast tackled their role only a decade ago.

2 Honor The Timeline Of The Books

The Movies Rushed Events

The Harry Potter movies had limited screen time, so they needed to focus on important events from the books. Given that a TV series doesn’t have that issue, it should honor the real timeline of the source material. The Harry Potter movies rushed through many events, but the TV show doesn’t need to. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry visits Diagon Alley with Hagrid, then immediately jumps on the train to Hogwarts. In the books, he has one month in between. The movies also never spent much time showing Harry at the Dursleys, flying through his summer vacations — even the ones where interesting things happened.

1 Depict Daily Life at Hogwarts

There’s A Reason People Love Harry Potter

There is a reason so many people love the Harry Potter series, and it’s the magical world itself. That’s why people immerse themselves in the books often and visit the Wizarding World theme parks. As such, the Harry Potter TV show should focus on creating a truly magical atmosphere. It shouldn’t only focus on the Golden Trio; it should depict daily life at Hogwarts, whether that involves the students doing homework or attending feasts. This will enable viewers to fully immerse themselves in the world they love — and for a longer time than the movies allowed.

Source: CNET