Harry Potter now has such an iconic and recognizable aesthetic, feeling, and sound to it, thanks to the movies, merchandise, theme park, etc. To entirely replace it would be a huge ask. It's like asking people to modify the shape of Vader's helmet in their mind to something different.
Interesting that you find it difficult to imagine Harry Potter with different music. I grew up playing the PS1 Philosopher's Stone, scored by Jeremy Soule, who (if what I've read is accurate) had not even heard John Williams's work at the time. And I have to say, I think he conjures the very same mood just as well - I actually had to pause and think for a few seconds to remember which main theme was which, despite the two having nothing in common melodically. So, the idea of a wholly unrelated soundscape working just as well doesn't seem that strange to me. Extrapolating that to visuals and casting is of course a little more challenging, but I'm cautiously looking forward to seeing what the Succession guys come up with.
Interesting point. I never played the game. You say that Jeremy Soule conjured the same mood, which doesn't surprise me. I don't think the TV music will sound exactly like John Williams, but I just think that "same mood" is the most natural/logical outcome for the series, and the new music will probably turn out similar, unless they consciously try NOT to sound like the previous music. Will be interesting to see! Thanks for watching.
I had no idea about the existence of a different "take" on the musical theme for Harry Potter. I have looked up the soundtrack for the games you speak of and am truly amazed. The two approaches share so much in the sense of theme, energy and the mood they evoke. You saying that Soule was not aware of the movie score makes the comparison of the two rather stunning.
Here's how I see it in terms of potential positives: - Now that the series of books have ended, adapting to the screen can fully focus on the crucial parts of the saga, which was a bit of an issue with the movies as the story conclusion wasn't even conceived yet when half the movies were already made. - Not only that, but in a TV format, there's more opportunities to explore side plots, secondary characters, and provide rich worldbuilding as the books did. - HBO Other than that, it's very worrying. From modern adaptations leaning heavily into the "modern audience" messaging to the series writer expressing clear lacks of interest and knowedge about the Harry Potter books and IP, every sign is there to make us think we could very much have another "Rings of Power" coming our way....
I’m curious to see how HBO attempts to thread the needle of what some audiences claim as a lack of racial representation in the films and how others expect the characters to look. I don’t think they will please anyone.
@@owen-trombone That's a non-issue imo. If they want to faithfully adapt the books that people know and love, they should do exactly that. But if they want to play the card of "modern sensibilities", then they should come up with their own new stories and characters that fit this direction. It's very simple. When in doubt, "we are respecting the source material" is the best course of action they can take if they want to please the audience. Conflicts between the students and discrimination among the adults (based on rank / caste) are very present in the books. and that comes with a variety of slurs. I think that's a) an integral part of characterization, and b) quite realistic for that world (teens at those ages, and adults judging according to magic ancestry). If you start introducing visible ethnicities as part of the hatred demonstrated, it could certainly blur the lines as to why that hatred is there. There is certainly a big component of race supermacy in the subtext (albeit not subtle) of the books, that I think works better when there is no spotlight on actual skin color. Because it's about something else. It's an allegory that keeps us in the fantasy world. So assuming HBO wants to keep those conflicts and a somewhat dark tone, I can't believe they would be so out of touch as to cast Hermione as a POC, for instance, and have people call her a "mudblood". Now THAT wouldn't please anyone.
"the story conclusion wasn't even conceived yet when half the movies were already made." Uh, didn't Rowling have it pretty much all mapped out? She may have made some adjustments, but my understanding is she knew where it all was going.
I'm a bit worried that the writer for the series has expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the source material itself. I get the sense that he wants to deviate from it to the point where the story won't really be recognizable. This has happened countless times with various IPs as they pass through the Hollywood screenwriter's artistic woodchippers. Burgeoning writers who think they know better than the author, trying to improve upon the works only for it to fall flat and lose the magic that initially drew people in. Now I'm not saying that they should remake the tv show as a reflection of the movies, but I just hope they don't deviate so far that it becomes a different story.
@@anna-flora999 better than Rowling at writing a story? Sure. Better at Rowling at writing a story that people who are already fans of Harry Potter will accept as a valid and appreciated adaptation of the existing Harry Potter books? Not a chance. There's no way that a writer who wants to shake things up is going to please the fans of the original stories like that.
@@anna-flora999 Her problem is that she knows how to write a novel, but a screenplay is a completely different thing. At the very least she should've done it together with some professional.
It's about money. It's always about money. The problem is, nowadays they don't even hire people with a unique vision, to create art masterpieces, they hire people who are closer to their vision of making more money, with their "wider audience" parallel
Yep, that is base of every company- profit. It can be different for the people who are hired to create. Some will do for money, some with passion and the side effect of that is money. A lot of €
@@Artoriassif1897 The problem is that when you are into the "wider audience" bs as an artist, you have stopped being an artist, you're a salesman that pretends to be an artist. That's the problem. They're hired to be artistic but the criteria for hiring are their sales tactics and the product is just a product, it's not an art piece anymore
The biggest advantage of the books over the movies is all the detail. The biggest advantage of the movies over the books is the music and imagery. A TV series is a great idea that can combine all of these elements, as long as it does not go off topic and become a drama like Smallville.
I know right? A prequel would be the obvious choice: The writers would have source enough material about that period at their hands (from accounts within the books, pottermore and other canon sources), but also enough gaps and holes they can fill up with their own imagination. There are tons of characters and events from that period that were only briefly mentioned before, like the full story of the Marauders, the actions of the original Order of the Phoenix and so on. Would I enjoy watching these background stories to their full extend? ALWAYS! The starting point with Snape and Lily is the perfect choice. The plot of the final episode(s) would be not any less obvious: Snape's oath of allegiance to Dumbledore, the night in Godric's Hollow, Voldemorts Downfall, Snape visiting the place and finding Lily dead (one of the best changes the movies made!), Hagrid retrieving Harry, and-serving as emotional relief and a bridge to the movies-Harry's arrival at Privet Drive.
I was so interested when I first heard about the show because I of course thought it to be some totally new story but set in Hogwarts. But I am not too keen about this, especially since hearing how the showrunners/writers don't care reading the books.
There’s something cathartic and wondrous about the magic of TV that books don’t really have and I think an amazing, beloved story like Harry Potter deserves to be able to express itself and be experienced in that format.
There are so many problems that a studio would have to address to reboot Harry Potter. Christopher Nolan created a dark, but mostly grounded in reality Batman, which hadn't been done before. James Bond movies can always use better effects, bigger stunts, and better quality to recapture the old magic; while also telling new stories. Star Wars has a humongous universe with potential for endless stories, (it's just Disney's fault they're failing to use it properly), but Harry Potter? What are they going to do? Tell a darker version? We already had that with the later movies. A lighter version? We had that with the first two movies. Remakes absolutely can work, obviously the LotR movies crushed the old LotR cartoons; and even though the cartoons have their place the movies were just lightyears ahead of them in acting, storytelling, visuals, music, and so much more. But I just don't see how a Harry Potter TV Show could do anything like that...sure the movies had some questionable CGI here and there, but they really do hold up well for the most part. Ultimately I don't see a way that this show would to compare to the originals, and I'd bet everything I own it'll end up being lost in the shadow that they cast. The only way this show could succeed would be to be even more faithful to the books than the original movies, have way better visuals, acting, pacing, storytelling, and characters...and well, I mean it's not like the original movies did those things so badly they'll make the job easy, pulling this off sounds nearly impossible.
Nicely put. It won't be enough to be better than the movies. People will hate the new only because it is different from the old. As a major Harry Potter fan I don't see myself accepting the TV show as canon if all they are doing is retelling the story. The only way I see the show as a success is to retell the story from a different angle. Let's say this is Peeve's story. He wasn't in the movies at all, but he was there to witness all the events. Now this is something I would be interested to see, and I would not mind things looking differently because it would be Peeve's interpretation of the events rather than another Harry trying to tell us a story we know better than he does.
I always thought it would be cool if they did a sequel series where Harry goes to the auror Academy and has to learn the basics, and then it essentially becomes a serialized police procedural where he goes around catching dark wizards, and we run into familiar faces along the way.
Great video. I'm not super well versed in the Harry Potter world, but here's my pitch: A monster of the week style show set in Hogwarts, where the monster is themed after the plot of each episode maybe tying into the lessons being taught in class. You can of course also have the greater overarching season narrative that takes place simultaneously. I feel like this style of show could be entertaining and fun. Too many tv shows nowadays, especially fantasy shows, try to tell these longform stories with a gazillion storylines that feel non-cohesive, unsatisfying, and half-baked. Ultimately, I think I agree with you that some stories and characters are not designed to be retold in every format, but I do think it is possible for a good creative writer to recapture an audiences imagination as long as they have a good story to tell.
I agree that an episodic show might work more appropriately. I wonder how much new story content they'll add to the show to make the format work. Thanks for watching!
Sensible analysis. Anecdotal: my daughters (15 and 10) love Harry Potter, books and films. I’m sure they’d watch a TV version. No idea how many “automatic viewers” there are, and if it’s enough to make this financially justified. It’s also tricky since streaming services aren’t pay-per-view like movie tickets.
There are certainly things that a new adaption could improve upon from the films, but I don't know it it could be enough to put it over that edge of being worth it. I probably won't watch unless I hear it's phenomenal.
I found the series in 5th grade in '98, and I didn't like the movies not being in line with the text, classic I know. I grew to love the films, as a good interpretation of everyone's imagination who had read the books, they did a good job all things considered. I also have always wanted a screenplay that followed the text verbatim, maybe a tv series could do that, I don't really know how that would be accomplished.
It’s weird to me that the logo for the new show is also Harry’s lightning shaped scar ⚡️ , but this one is even less lightning looking. I wish his scar in the show was big and scaggly and looked like a real bolt of lightning not the flash logo.
That would be a change of the timeline, because the story takes place in the nineties. But other than that it would be a trivial change, at least in my opinion. Muggle tech doesn't play a big role in the story, besides some (rare) occasions: Harry secretly playing around with Dudley's stuff, Arthur's (and other non-muggle-born Wizard's) weird misinterpretation of its function and usage, and some bewitched Muggle tech with new unique properties. Smartphones would fit into these situations just fine. The only big mistake the writers could do would be to make the main characters walk around Hogwarts using smartphones. This wouldn't only look rediculous and take the magic away, but it would also contradict the canon, because-as Hermione would eagerly point out-everyone who read "Hogwarts: A History" would know that Muggle tech doesn't work at places like Hogwarts, with that much of magic around.
@@ostling87 Maybe I've seen one too many Harry Glocker edits, but I wouldn't mind more muggle tech. It's the only thing I can think of that would make me interested in another retelling of this story.
I'll probably watch the first episode, Im not big on HP but it could be fun a see a new intepretation. Tho I fear theres a chance they'll try and stay close to the established aesthetic.
I am absolutely not anyone's target audience and have never read the books or done anything peripheral like visiting the "attractions" that exist in the real world. I did manage to watch all the movies, either on TV or in an airplane, at one time or another. I thought the most compelling character and story arc was Voldemort, and why he was so filled with hate. Though I haven't read them, my sense is that the book's plots are inventive, in the sense that the author invented a magic something to get herself out of plot difficulties, and did this repeatedly. There was, however, a fairly coherent plot arc over the series, it was just stretched past all imagining so that Harry could grow up enough to conquer the big bad guy. I suppose a TV series could be written that skipped all the fluff and told that central story more fully and compellingly. I doubt that will happen.
Im kinda hoping they just remake the books with little new in the way of adaptation. I want how a population responds to what is essentially a reskin of a product, and all the existential nonsense that is to follow.
They must represent the world almost exactly like it is in the movies, otherwise, people won't recognize it as Harry Potter. They could take inspiration from Hogwarts Legacy for example. They made the castle almost the same thing but still different
Good point. How can they make it distinct and coherent? Hopefully not by making it all 2020's style. Gothic castles? Vaguely medieval touches here and there? Nah! It's all Starbucks and suburban sprawl this time around!
Can be closer to the books and really dig deep would be a great reason to make it. New generations needs their Harry tho? Not really - new generation is capable of watching the movies and read the books, they are not being deleted and burned (hopefully). The reason your favorite movie of all time isn't from this year most likely isn't because the quality drops so much (even tho recently we can argue we are waiting for the new 90s a long time). It's because you have 100+ years of cinema to compare it to. Favorite book coming this year? Forget about it. We are underestimating new generations too much, reading is coming back, we just need to stop being pretentious and recognize audiobooks are a valid way to read - and specifically with Harry Potter read by wonderful Stephen Fry, it might be even the superior choice.
i was hopeful when it came to rings of power and yahhh that crashed and burned pretty fast for me so not really expecting much - guess that does give them a chance to surprise me - is that going to be a good or bad surprise ? wellp i guess we'll find out soon enough .
@@henryglennon3864 LOL She's always eating deli meats, and little pieces fly out her mouth as she loudly talks to people sitting several seats down the table from her and motions dramatically with her hands.
I dont understand why, in a universe that has almost limitless potential for expansion, you would remake the story and have your presentation compared to a set of incredibly well loved films... People will already come to see your show based on the IP, I can not imagine you will lose _that_ many viewers for not retelling the same story. E.g. Fantastic Beasts didnt lose its audience because it wasnt the original story, the first film did almost as well as the mainline Potter films, it was each successive one that dropped precipitously at the box office, cause, to cut a very long critique very short, they sucked. More personally, this is especially so because I dont really need a deeper dive in to the books. With the exception of the first two which I could take or leave regardless, and The Goblet of Fire which was my favourite of the books*, I found the films largely surpass them. Order of the Phoenix in particular reined in a pretty messy book in to something more cohesive and powerful. Though there are numerous other moments throughout the films that I felt so much more for the characters on screen than I ever did while reading the novels. *SPOILERS: Though, even there, while Cedrics death in the book was a genuine gut punch, the scene with his father in the film hit every bit as hard.
The fact that I found this painful to watch, simply for being Potter related, explains why I'm never watching that damn show. Also, how bad is this IP doing if they already have to do a reboot?
It's Harishna Pottersinoza, the cept-racial (Indian, black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian), bi-religious (Jewish and Muslim), demi-non-binary, pansexual who is also asexual at the same time, disabled and bi-polar, deaf and fat "it" (as Harishna prefers "it/itself" pronouns).
I am VERY MUCH against retellings when the original is already great. I am VERY MUCH more skeptical of sequels to franchises that are over 30, 40, *50* years old. Make something new. Adapt good ideas that were executed poorly.
While I appreciate your analysis here, I’ll be boycotting this show on principle. The author is someone who not only expresses her bigotry compulsively, but also uses her vast wealth to influence legislation in the UK, in a horrible way.
@@8ballstreet google is your friend. She is horribly anti trans and is funding anti trans legislation as well as right wing agitators. There are countless videos and articles on it if you’re actually curious
I don't see Daniel Radcliffe when I think of "Harry Potter" I don't see the ridiculous movie castle when I think of "Hogwarts", because it's fundamentally incompatible with canon descriptions You're forgetting that millions of people love the books, and have loads of issues with the movies. We don't see the movies as our version of Harry Potter. Those imagines are easily replaceable - we don't like the movies.
Certainly, personal tastes can come into play, and it is up to the individual to understand whether the version of a book is to their liking or not... to give an example, the adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (from The Chronicles of Narnia) , doesn't do the book justice, but I think that on the other hand The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was well adapted and when I read the original story, those are the Pevensie brothers that I imagine. Having said that... there is also the brand recognition factor to consider. How far could they go in wanting to give a different design to the castle, or to the most iconic creatures of the saga? Just to say, Fang should be a Great Dane, but in the films it seems to me he has been changed into a Neapolitan mastiff...but, ultimately, this is a rather secondary detail. I mean, I don't think there would be a petition if Hagrid's dog became a German shepherd in the series. I don't know if I got the idea...
You're free not to like them, but seriously, you're being really rude to all the people who put years of their lives into the set and prop designs of the movies! Geez! 😤
@@princessthyemis Yeah no. They'll be fine LOL. Stuart Craig, the set designer of Harry Potter who designed the castle, says he "failed at making Hogwarts", and he's right
Good point, I sometimes forget that there are lots of fans who didn't care much for the film's portrayal. i'm one of those people who is incapable of going back to my imagination of the books. Same with LoTR. I can't imagine Gandalf as anyone else but Sir Ian, etc.
Maybe TV Harry should be Slytherin?
Harry Potter now has such an iconic and recognizable aesthetic, feeling, and sound to it, thanks to the movies, merchandise, theme park, etc. To entirely replace it would be a huge ask. It's like asking people to modify the shape of Vader's helmet in their mind to something different.
The Elijah Wood "Daniel Radcliffe" was hilarious
I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to realize what I was seeing 😅
Interesting that you find it difficult to imagine Harry Potter with different music. I grew up playing the PS1 Philosopher's Stone, scored by Jeremy Soule, who (if what I've read is accurate) had not even heard John Williams's work at the time. And I have to say, I think he conjures the very same mood just as well - I actually had to pause and think for a few seconds to remember which main theme was which, despite the two having nothing in common melodically. So, the idea of a wholly unrelated soundscape working just as well doesn't seem that strange to me. Extrapolating that to visuals and casting is of course a little more challenging, but I'm cautiously looking forward to seeing what the Succession guys come up with.
Interesting point. I never played the game. You say that Jeremy Soule conjured the same mood, which doesn't surprise me. I don't think the TV music will sound exactly like John Williams, but I just think that "same mood" is the most natural/logical outcome for the series, and the new music will probably turn out similar, unless they consciously try NOT to sound like the previous music. Will be interesting to see! Thanks for watching.
Jeremy Soule's soundtracks of the first 4 HP games were incredible and felt just right with the work of HP. So it can be done.
I had no idea about the existence of a different "take" on the musical theme for Harry Potter. I have looked up the soundtrack for the games you speak of and am truly amazed. The two approaches share so much in the sense of theme, energy and the mood they evoke. You saying that Soule was not aware of the movie score makes the comparison of the two rather stunning.
Here's how I see it in terms of potential positives:
- Now that the series of books have ended, adapting to the screen can fully focus on the crucial parts of the saga, which was a bit of an issue with the movies as the story conclusion wasn't even conceived yet when half the movies were already made.
- Not only that, but in a TV format, there's more opportunities to explore side plots, secondary characters, and provide rich worldbuilding as the books did.
- HBO
Other than that, it's very worrying. From modern adaptations leaning heavily into the "modern audience" messaging to the series writer expressing clear lacks of interest and knowedge about the Harry Potter books and IP, every sign is there to make us think we could very much have another "Rings of Power" coming our way....
I’m glad you mentioned HBO. They’re not perfect, but more than any studio they have my trust
Well said...I'm both very hopeful and very worried.
I’m curious to see how HBO attempts to thread the needle of what some audiences claim as a lack of racial representation in the films and how others expect the characters to look. I don’t think they will please anyone.
@@owen-trombone That's a non-issue imo. If they want to faithfully adapt the books that people know and love, they should do exactly that. But if they want to play the card of "modern sensibilities", then they should come up with their own new stories and characters that fit this direction. It's very simple. When in doubt, "we are respecting the source material" is the best course of action they can take if they want to please the audience.
Conflicts between the students and discrimination among the adults (based on rank / caste) are very present in the books. and that comes with a variety of slurs. I think that's a) an integral part of characterization, and b) quite realistic for that world (teens at those ages, and adults judging according to magic ancestry). If you start introducing visible ethnicities as part of the hatred demonstrated, it could certainly blur the lines as to why that hatred is there. There is certainly a big component of race supermacy in the subtext (albeit not subtle) of the books, that I think works better when there is no spotlight on actual skin color. Because it's about something else. It's an allegory that keeps us in the fantasy world. So assuming HBO wants to keep those conflicts and a somewhat dark tone, I can't believe they would be so out of touch as to cast Hermione as a POC, for instance, and have people call her a "mudblood". Now THAT wouldn't please anyone.
"the story conclusion wasn't even conceived yet when half the movies were already made."
Uh, didn't Rowling have it pretty much all mapped out? She may have made some adjustments, but my understanding is she knew where it all was going.
I'm a bit worried that the writer for the series has expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the source material itself. I get the sense that he wants to deviate from it to the point where the story won't really be recognizable. This has happened countless times with various IPs as they pass through the Hollywood screenwriter's artistic woodchippers. Burgeoning writers who think they know better than the author, trying to improve upon the works only for it to fall flat and lose the magic that initially drew people in. Now I'm not saying that they should remake the tv show as a reflection of the movies, but I just hope they don't deviate so far that it becomes a different story.
To be fair, most writers probably could do a better job than Rowling
Yeah!!!!!!! Like how the writers of The Witcher ACTIVELY despised the source material...I can only hope it doesn't end up like that!!!!!!
@@anna-flora999 better than Rowling at writing a story? Sure. Better at Rowling at writing a story that people who are already fans of Harry Potter will accept as a valid and appreciated adaptation of the existing Harry Potter books? Not a chance. There's no way that a writer who wants to shake things up is going to please the fans of the original stories like that.
@@wallywalrus2 how well did Rowling writing herself go for the fantastic beasts movies? She's set the bar for that pretty low as well
@@anna-flora999 Her problem is that she knows how to write a novel, but a screenplay is a completely different thing. At the very least she should've done it together with some professional.
It's about money. It's always about money. The problem is, nowadays they don't even hire people with a unique vision, to create art masterpieces, they hire people who are closer to their vision of making more money, with their "wider audience" parallel
Yep, that is base of every company- profit. It can be different for the people who are hired to create. Some will do for money, some with passion and the side effect of that is money. A lot of €
@@Artoriassif1897 The problem is that when you are into the "wider audience" bs as an artist, you have stopped being an artist, you're a salesman that pretends to be an artist. That's the problem. They're hired to be artistic but the criteria for hiring are their sales tactics and the product is just a product, it's not an art piece anymore
@@alexkats30 I would agree with that
It's also Rowling being angy about Radcliffe and the other actors from the movies calling out her bigotry
@@anna-flora999Is Rowling supportive of the new series?
“Neither can live while the other survives.” 👀😬
The biggest advantage of the books over the movies is all the detail. The biggest advantage of the movies over the books is the music and imagery. A TV series is a great idea that can combine all of these elements, as long as it does not go off topic and become a drama like Smallville.
They should have done a prequel based on the first wizarding war with voldemort, but start it with Snape and Lily when they first meet, pre-hogwarts
That isn't a bad idea actually...
I know right? A prequel would be the obvious choice: The writers would have source enough material about that period at their hands (from accounts within the books, pottermore and other canon sources), but also enough gaps and holes they can fill up with their own imagination. There are tons of characters and events from that period that were only briefly mentioned before, like the full story of the Marauders, the actions of the original Order of the Phoenix and so on. Would I enjoy watching these background stories to their full extend? ALWAYS!
The starting point with Snape and Lily is the perfect choice. The plot of the final episode(s) would be not any less obvious: Snape's oath of allegiance to Dumbledore, the night in Godric's Hollow, Voldemorts Downfall, Snape visiting the place and finding Lily dead (one of the best changes the movies made!), Hagrid retrieving Harry, and-serving as emotional relief and a bridge to the movies-Harry's arrival at Privet Drive.
This is so well stated and presented!!!! I love how you took 3 things and looked at both sides of them!
Thanks for watching, and for your kind words!
Glad you thought to mention the squeakquel, an often overlooked and under appreciated genre of cinema.
The actors wont be what kills the TV show. The politics will.
Agreed. HBO will try to please everyone but will only disappoint everyone
I was so interested when I first heard about the show because I of course thought it to be some totally new story but set in Hogwarts.
But I am not too keen about this, especially since hearing how the showrunners/writers don't care reading the books.
There’s something cathartic and wondrous about the magic of TV that books don’t really have and I think an amazing, beloved story like Harry Potter deserves to be able to express itself and be experienced in that format.
There are so many problems that a studio would have to address to reboot Harry Potter. Christopher Nolan created a dark, but mostly grounded in reality Batman, which hadn't been done before. James Bond movies can always use better effects, bigger stunts, and better quality to recapture the old magic; while also telling new stories. Star Wars has a humongous universe with potential for endless stories, (it's just Disney's fault they're failing to use it properly), but Harry Potter? What are they going to do? Tell a darker version? We already had that with the later movies. A lighter version? We had that with the first two movies.
Remakes absolutely can work, obviously the LotR movies crushed the old LotR cartoons; and even though the cartoons have their place the movies were just lightyears ahead of them in acting, storytelling, visuals, music, and so much more. But I just don't see how a Harry Potter TV Show could do anything like that...sure the movies had some questionable CGI here and there, but they really do hold up well for the most part. Ultimately I don't see a way that this show would to compare to the originals, and I'd bet everything I own it'll end up being lost in the shadow that they cast.
The only way this show could succeed would be to be even more faithful to the books than the original movies, have way better visuals, acting, pacing, storytelling, and characters...and well, I mean it's not like the original movies did those things so badly they'll make the job easy, pulling this off sounds nearly impossible.
Nicely put. It won't be enough to be better than the movies. People will hate the new only because it is different from the old. As a major Harry Potter fan I don't see myself accepting the TV show as canon if all they are doing is retelling the story. The only way I see the show as a success is to retell the story from a different angle. Let's say this is Peeve's story. He wasn't in the movies at all, but he was there to witness all the events. Now this is something I would be interested to see, and I would not mind things looking differently because it would be Peeve's interpretation of the events rather than another Harry trying to tell us a story we know better than he does.
Great video. Here's to blowing up this quality channel!
I always thought it would be cool if they did a sequel series where Harry goes to the auror Academy and has to learn the basics, and then it essentially becomes a serialized police procedural where he goes around catching dark wizards, and we run into familiar faces along the way.
Great video. I'm not super well versed in the Harry Potter world, but here's my pitch: A monster of the week style show set in Hogwarts, where the monster is themed after the plot of each episode maybe tying into the lessons being taught in class. You can of course also have the greater overarching season narrative that takes place simultaneously. I feel like this style of show could be entertaining and fun.
Too many tv shows nowadays, especially fantasy shows, try to tell these longform stories with a gazillion storylines that feel non-cohesive, unsatisfying, and half-baked. Ultimately, I think I agree with you that some stories and characters are not designed to be retold in every format, but I do think it is possible for a good creative writer to recapture an audiences imagination as long as they have a good story to tell.
I agree that an episodic show might work more appropriately. I wonder how much new story content they'll add to the show to make the format work. Thanks for watching!
Yes, you cracked me up with the Elijah Wood/Daniel Radcliffe change-up
Sensible analysis. Anecdotal: my daughters (15 and 10) love Harry Potter, books and films. I’m sure they’d watch a TV version. No idea how many “automatic viewers” there are, and if it’s enough to make this financially justified. It’s also tricky since streaming services aren’t pay-per-view like movie tickets.
This is an excellent video
There are certainly things that a new adaption could improve upon from the films, but I don't know it it could be enough to put it over that edge of being worth it. I probably won't watch unless I hear it's phenomenal.
Great video. I’m digging your content.
FYI: You showed a still of Elijah Woods but identified him as Daniel Radcliffe at about 8:14 on the timeline.
I found the series in 5th grade in '98, and I didn't like the movies not being in line with the text, classic I know. I grew to love the films, as a good interpretation of everyone's imagination who had read the books, they did a good job all things considered. I also have always wanted a screenplay that followed the text verbatim, maybe a tv series could do that, I don't really know how that would be accomplished.
It’s weird to me that the logo for the new show is also Harry’s lightning shaped scar ⚡️ , but this one is even less lightning looking. I wish his scar in the show was big and scaggly and looked like a real bolt of lightning not the flash logo.
A major worry I have is if they will put smartphones in it.
Something I hadn't considered, but an excellent point.
That would be a change of the timeline, because the story takes place in the nineties. But other than that it would be a trivial change, at least in my opinion. Muggle tech doesn't play a big role in the story, besides some (rare) occasions: Harry secretly playing around with Dudley's stuff, Arthur's (and other non-muggle-born Wizard's) weird misinterpretation of its function and usage, and some bewitched Muggle tech with new unique properties. Smartphones would fit into these situations just fine. The only big mistake the writers could do would be to make the main characters walk around Hogwarts using smartphones. This wouldn't only look rediculous and take the magic away, but it would also contradict the canon, because-as Hermione would eagerly point out-everyone who read "Hogwarts: A History" would know that Muggle tech doesn't work at places like Hogwarts, with that much of magic around.
@@ostling87 Maybe I've seen one too many Harry Glocker edits, but I wouldn't mind more muggle tech. It's the only thing I can think of that would make me interested in another retelling of this story.
If it were anyone besides HBO, I'd probably give it a wide berth. As is, I'm excited to see what they do with it!
But aren't they all really Sparrowhawk (Earthsea) ??
I'll probably watch the first episode, Im not big on HP but it could be fun a see a new intepretation.
Tho I fear theres a chance they'll try and stay close to the established aesthetic.
I am absolutely not anyone's target audience and have never read the books or done anything peripheral like visiting the "attractions" that exist in the real world. I did manage to watch all the movies, either on TV or in an airplane, at one time or another. I thought the most compelling character and story arc was Voldemort, and why he was so filled with hate.
Though I haven't read them, my sense is that the book's plots are inventive, in the sense that the author invented a magic something to get herself out of plot difficulties, and did this repeatedly. There was, however, a fairly coherent plot arc over the series, it was just stretched past all imagining so that Harry could grow up enough to conquer the big bad guy. I suppose a TV series could be written that skipped all the fluff and told that central story more fully and compellingly. I doubt that will happen.
we already have two images, those from the books that are our own, and then the movies
I'm open minded. I'll watch the first episode and either I'm intrigued or not. The original movies and the source material will still be around.
Im kinda hoping they just remake the books with little new in the way of adaptation. I want how a population responds to what is essentially a reskin of a product, and all the existential nonsense that is to follow.
It’s so obvious you never read the books, otherwise you would know there’s at least 30% materials missing from the films.
They must represent the world almost exactly like it is in the movies, otherwise, people won't recognize it as Harry Potter. They could take inspiration from Hogwarts Legacy for example. They made the castle almost the same thing but still different
Ya I thought about that - feels like the same castle, but has way more details.
Is that pencil just your prop pencil, or do you ever write with it?
I actually do use that pencil when writing edit notes for these videos haha
Good point. How can they make it distinct and coherent? Hopefully not by making it all 2020's style. Gothic castles? Vaguely medieval touches here and there? Nah! It's all Starbucks and suburban sprawl this time around!
That's something I'd never considered - that the muggle world would be updated to our current time. Good point!
Can be closer to the books and really dig deep would be a great reason to make it.
New generations needs their Harry tho? Not really - new generation is capable of watching the movies and read the books, they are not being deleted and burned (hopefully).
The reason your favorite movie of all time isn't from this year most likely isn't because the quality drops so much (even tho recently we can argue we are waiting for the new 90s a long time).
It's because you have 100+ years of cinema to compare it to. Favorite book coming this year? Forget about it.
We are underestimating new generations too much, reading is coming back, we just need to stop being pretentious and recognize audiobooks are a valid way to read - and specifically with Harry Potter read by wonderful Stephen Fry, it might be even the superior choice.
i was hopeful when it came to rings of power and yahhh that crashed and burned pretty fast for me so not really expecting much - guess that does give them a chance to surprise me - is that going to be a good or bad surprise ? wellp i guess we'll find out soon enough .
6:14 Bojack Horseman reference?
It’s gonna be for the ‘modern audience’
06:15 that's elijah wood.
I don't care if they will try to make diversity in the cast. I care if they will do it only for money and they will actually do.
I hope they have an Italian-American character so I can feel represented. That's what's important to me, not the quality of the writing or production.
Wish granted! Say hello to Sally Gabagool, the new Hufflepuff.
@@henryglennon3864 LOL
She's always eating deli meats, and little pieces fly out her mouth as she loudly talks to people sitting several seats down the table from her and motions dramatically with her hands.
there already are two, the books and movies are not congruent. we can have three fuck it
I dont understand why, in a universe that has almost limitless potential for expansion, you would remake the story and have your presentation compared to a set of incredibly well loved films... People will already come to see your show based on the IP, I can not imagine you will lose _that_ many viewers for not retelling the same story.
E.g. Fantastic Beasts didnt lose its audience because it wasnt the original story, the first film did almost as well as the mainline Potter films, it was each successive one that dropped precipitously at the box office, cause, to cut a very long critique very short, they sucked.
More personally, this is especially so because I dont really need a deeper dive in to the books. With the exception of the first two which I could take or leave regardless, and The Goblet of Fire which was my favourite of the books*, I found the films largely surpass them. Order of the Phoenix in particular reined in a pretty messy book in to something more cohesive and powerful. Though there are numerous other moments throughout the films that I felt so much more for the characters on screen than I ever did while reading the novels.
*SPOILERS: Though, even there, while Cedrics death in the book was a genuine gut punch, the scene with his father in the film hit every bit as hard.
The fact that I found this painful to watch, simply for being Potter related, explains why I'm never watching that damn show. Also, how bad is this IP doing if they already have to do a reboot?
The Harry Potter name is very much alive and well, otherwise they wouldn't pour millions into this to readapt the original story.
@@thisisfynethey're also trying to push Rowling out of the IP as much as possible because she's poison for Marketing
@@anna-flora999 People sure like to pretend that
The relentless search for existing IP to recycle
Well, the movies were pretty meh, so I think a good adaptation would be nice.
I'll pirate the first few episodes to check it out but I'm not hopeful at all
I can't wait to see the new diverse cast tailored for "modern audiences". Who will be the black guy, or the fat guy?
It's Harishna Pottersinoza, the cept-racial (Indian, black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian), bi-religious (Jewish and Muslim), demi-non-binary, pansexual who is also asexual at the same time, disabled and bi-polar, deaf and fat "it" (as Harishna prefers "it/itself" pronouns).
I'm not giving my opinion. I'm here just to say they already announced that Hermione will probably be a person of color.
Ultimately it seems more a cash grab than about story telling.
I am VERY MUCH against retellings when the original is already great.
I am VERY MUCH more skeptical of sequels to franchises that are over 30, 40, *50* years old.
Make something new. Adapt good ideas that were executed poorly.
It's going to be woke and will not respect the source material. I hope I am wrong. They are chomping at the bits to piss off JK Rowling.😂
It’s made for hate watchers.
I'm not giving JK Rowling any more of my time, money, or attention, directly or indirectly.
All this time talking, when everyone already knows that this show is just being made to be "woke".
While I appreciate your analysis here, I’ll be boycotting this show on principle. The author is someone who not only expresses her bigotry compulsively, but also uses her vast wealth to influence legislation in the UK, in a horrible way.
Well said.
Yeah, we saw how well that worked with Hogwarts legacy.
Genuinely curious, what has she said that you find bigoted? And how do you find that she negatively influences legislation?
@@8ballstreet google is your friend. She is horribly anti trans and is funding anti trans legislation as well as right wing agitators. There are countless videos and articles on it if you’re actually curious
NPC detected
I don't see Daniel Radcliffe when I think of "Harry Potter"
I don't see the ridiculous movie castle when I think of "Hogwarts", because it's fundamentally incompatible with canon descriptions
You're forgetting that millions of people love the books, and have loads of issues with the movies. We don't see the movies as our version of Harry Potter. Those imagines are easily replaceable - we don't like the movies.
Certainly, personal tastes can come into play, and it is up to the individual to understand whether the version of a book is to their liking or not... to give an example, the adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (from The Chronicles of Narnia) , doesn't do the book justice, but I think that on the other hand The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was well adapted and when I read the original story, those are the Pevensie brothers that I imagine.
Having said that... there is also the brand recognition factor to consider. How far could they go in wanting to give a different design to the castle, or to the most iconic creatures of the saga? Just to say, Fang should be a Great Dane, but in the films it seems to me he has been changed into a Neapolitan mastiff...but, ultimately, this is a rather secondary detail. I mean, I don't think there would be a petition if Hagrid's dog became a German shepherd in the series.
I don't know if I got the idea...
You're free not to like them, but seriously, you're being really rude to all the people who put years of their lives into the set and prop designs of the movies! Geez! 😤
@@princessthyemis Yeah no. They'll be fine LOL.
Stuart Craig, the set designer of Harry Potter who designed the castle, says he "failed at making Hogwarts", and he's right
Good point, I sometimes forget that there are lots of fans who didn't care much for the film's portrayal. i'm one of those people who is incapable of going back to my imagination of the books. Same with LoTR. I can't imagine Gandalf as anyone else but Sir Ian, etc.