Actor Michael Gambon on the set of the film, ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’, London, England, 2006. (Photo by Murray Close/ Getty Images)
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HBO’s Harry Potter reboot has fans asking—why so similar?
There’s been a steady drip-feed of casting news and set photos since the TV series was launched into production, and aside from some unexpected casting choices and minor costume changes, much of the wizarding world looks surprisingly familiar.
Many of the costumes and characters are very close to the designs of the original films, and early glimpses of the set indicate that Hogwarts hasn’t changed much.
Notably, Universal’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” theme park is modelled on the original design of Hogwarts, as are the international Harry Potter attractions that Warner Bros. has invested millions into building.
Hence, the reboot seems somewhat stifled, unable to venture too far from what fans have already seen.
Much of the appeal of a reboot is seeing a fresh take on a familiar story, but so far, what we’ve seen is near-identical to the original Harry Potter films.
That being said, designs may undergo further changes, as the series is still in production. However, the similarity between the classic film and the reboot has sparked commentary.
Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter films, questioned HBO’s reboot after he saw set photos of Nick Frost as Hagrid (originally played by Robbie Coltrane).
“[Nick Frost is] wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid,” Columbus said.
“Part of me was like, what’s the point? I thought the costumes and everything was going to be different, but it’s more of the same. It’s all going to be the same.”
Fans have posted similar concerns, noting that Hogwarts robes and other costuming choices appear disappointingly close to the original films.
Some have even compared stills of the upcoming series to Halloween costumes.
However, there is one major difference that will set the reboot apart from the original films—the length.
What’s New In HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot?
The television series will offer fans much more time to explore Hogwarts, as the length of a series far exceeds a feature film, allowing for more space to faithfully adapt the story of the books.
Material from the books had to be cut from the original films (especially when it came to the longer, denser novels that came later), but many of those cuts were made wisely, tightening the story of each film.
While fans are excited to see the inclusion of plot-lines and characters that didn’t make the cut the first time (such as Peeves, the mischievous poltergeist), there is a danger of bloat and slow pacing.
Each book will be adapted into a single season, but as the later books become significantly longer, the intent is to run the series for at least a decade.
Chris Columbus told the story of the Philosophers Stone in a two-and-a-half-hour film, but the first season of HBO’s Harry Potter will be eight episodes long.
The iconography might be familiar, but the pacing will certainly stand apart from the films.
Why Is ‘Harry Potter’ Returning?
As demonstrated by the success of the videogame spin-off Hogwarts Legacy, Harry Potter is still wildly popular—even if it has become synonymous with “Millennial Core,” and entangled in the constant feuds and controversies of author J.K. Rowling.
Not that Gen Z is completely uninterested in the franchise—erotic fan fiction seems to be keeping the memory of Harry Potter alive.
Millennial or otherwise, Harry Potter fans have demonstrated that they still want to spend time in Hogwarts, but seem less interested in the larger Wizarding World.
The spin-off film series, Fantastic Beasts, took place almost entirely outside of Hogwarts and failed to deliver at the box office, the story left unfinished after three films out of a planned five were released.
The original Harry Potter films collectively earned $7.7 billion at the box office, while Fantastic Beasts earned just under $2 billion.
Fantastic Beasts dived much deeper into the “fascism in the wizarding world” allegory that is touched on in the latter half of Harry Potter, the franchise seems to work best as a simple fantasy about having fun at wizard school.
So, viewers are going back to Hogwarts, for many more hours of adventures.
Like Star Wars, Harry Potter is simply too big to be left alone.
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