In my last Wizarding World article nearly 8 months ago, I talked about why the Fantastic Beasts franchise has been failing to garner similar performance to its Harry Potter predecessor. However, since then, we have learned of Warner Brothers' plan to create a new Harry Potter reboot series on Max. Given that we are just 10 years removed from the last Harry Potter film, many people are questioning the point of a reboot.
In short, it makes sense because in Hollywood, original intellectual property (IP) is a huge deal. It allows companies to create franchises and, hopefully, create superfans that turn into profits. However, on the flip side, original IP is hard to come by, and with companies investing more in established IP such as Marvel or DC Comics, it leaves little room for fresh, original stories. That's another conversation, but why this reboot makes sense is because, according to the Deadline article, the new series will span 10 years and 10 seasons. This gives Warner Brothers the opportunity to flesh out every single book to the point where they are giving the series more depth than they could in the original books. For example, the sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, notoriously cut out a lot of the Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle origins from the final film. This series will be able to expand on the minor details, expanding this world and, by doing so, will have a greater chance of expanding the universe after this 10-year series is done airing.
Additionally, when the original Harry Potter films were released, there was minimal talk of world-building franchises like there is nowadays. So, you can be sure that Warner Brothers Discovery will milk this new series to create the most long-lasting potential. I understand the controversy about rebooting a franchise that is still fresh in viewers' minds and rebooting a franchise when the creator and author is deep into another controversy. But this series makes sense from a world-building, franchise-seeking perspective. By rebooting this series, viewers will be able to go deeper into the Wizarding World, whether it's learning more about Lord Voldemort, Lily and James Potter (Harry's parents), or other supporting characters. Finally, while I think this series is unnecessary and will face scrutiny from the moment the cast is revealed, it can still be good. But most viewers and fans of the Wizarding World probably view this as a cash grab.
In my previous article, I said that the Fantastic Beasts franchise would have done better as a series, but I didn't mean the original Harry Potter series. The original books I am sure will do great in a series, but the original movies also didn't fail at the box office like Fantastic Beasts. What this shows is a lack of original ideas in Hollywood because I know many 'Potterheads' would have loved a series expanding the world of the supporting cast instead of a blatant reboot. All things considered, I am excited to see how this moves forward and where they expand on the original books and films.
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