Harry Potter: How the Reboot Can Build a Better Wizarding World Franchise

Warner Bros. Discovery is adapting the Harry Potter novels all over again – this time as a TV series – and it’s hard to imagine they’ll stop there. The Wizarding World franchise remains one of the most lucrative intellectual properties out there, and the company has invested heavily in expanding it before. There are a few ways the new Harry Potter series could set up new spinoffs.

Warner Bros. began seriously discussing plans for a series adaptation of Harry Potter back in January of 2021. The project officially went into development in April of 2023, and in February of 2024, WBD announced that the series was officially greenlit. It is slated to premiere in 2026 on HBO and Max. This will be a complete re-adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s seven Harry Potter novels, which were already adapted into eight movies between 2001 and 2011. This series itself could go a long way in expanding the Wizarding World as most fans see it by being longer and more in-depth than the movies.

A More Faithful Adaptation

Harry Potter is probably the most popular fantasy novel adaptation ever made, but the fact is that it’s not all that faithful to the books. The movies left out some important things, including entire characters, plot arcs and lots of worldbuilding. The new HBO Original series could expand the franchise a lot simply by adapting the books more completely, and in the process, telling many fans to the full story for the very first time.

This should be easy considering the longer run time of series over movies. For example, this version of The Prisoner of Azkaban could explain the history of the Marauders, perhaps even showing us some flashback scenes of young James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew together. By comparison, the third movie never even explained that the Marauders learned to become Animagi in order to help Lupin manage his werewolf transformations.

Two other big examples come in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The movie version cut the big reveal that Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) is an unlicensed Animagus, and that many of her big scoops are obtained by transforming into a bug and hiding in plain sight. There’s also the big twist at the end – the movie leaves viewers to believe that Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tenant) simply broke out of Azkaban Prison, dropping the story of how his mother took his place in his cell while his father and house elf smuggled him out.

Adding these plot threads back in will not only make the series longer and more complete – it will open doors for spinoffs. Fans have already been discussing the idea of a Marauders prequel for years, but exposure in this series might finally prompt the studio to listen.

Quidditch

Speaking of things that would get more screentime in a series, this new adaptation will likely give the wizarding sport Quidditch a lot more time to shine. That could be a great place to expand the franchise considering how much interest there already is in the game. Even today, real-life Quidditch (or quadball, as it was renamed in 2022) has a massive following, with international tournaments overseen by the International Quadball Association (IQA). With more exposure in a series, this sport could really take off.

The Harry Potter movies started out with some big Quidditch segments, but later the sport was only shown when it was absolutely necessary to the story. This removed some of the petty teen drama, but in an HBO series that would be right at home. We could see Quidditch featured prominently through the end of Season 6, which could inspire spinoffs about the sport including real-life matches and fictional ones. Rowling’s companion book, Quidditch Through the Ages could come into play here.

Cursed Child

Perhaps the most obvious way to expand the franchise would be a screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This is a direct sequel to the books, originally written as a stage play. Jack Thorne wrote the script based on a story he developed along with Rowling and John Tiffany.

The play takes place 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so it wouldn’t be easy to adapt immediately after the new series ends. However, it could be done by aging the actors up with makeup and CGI. Alternatively, this could inspire a reunion of the original cast to play older versions of themselves. Whatever the case, it would be a no-brainer for WBD to put this story on screen.

Fantastic Beasts

At the time of this writing, it looks like WBD has given up on its planned prequel series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Originally, the series was meant to consist of five movies written by Rowling herself, but only three were made. The new adaptation could inspire them to pick this series back up, or perhaps to re-make it later on down the line. It’s hard to say if fans would be interested enough to see this saga through to the end.

Hogwarts Legacy

Last year’s Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most successful video games of all time, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if WBD tried to adapt its story for the screen as well. That wouldn’t be a very straightforward project – the game allows users to choose their own adventure, meaning each play-through is unique in many ways. However, it does establish a new setting, since it takes place at Hogwarts in the late 1800s, about a century before the events of the main series. It also introduces new characters and some new worldbuilding elements, leaving enough for a screenwriter to grasp onto.

Boycotts

It’s worth noting the big issues with all of these plans and the challenges this franchise will face going forward. Many fans have tried to distance themselves from Harry Potter in recent years, ever since Rowling became such an outspoken opponent of transgender civil rights. Even those who still love her work have noted that she profits from any engagement with the franchise, and have boycotted the movies, merchandise and theme parks. This is one of the biggest reasons real-life Quidditch was renamed to quadball.

This is a challenge for WBD as well, as the studio has repeatedly disavowed her commentary and reiterated its support for LGBTQ+ employees and customers. This has also damaged the relationships between some of the movies’ stars and the franchise, as they work to distance themselves from Rowling’s rhetoric.

While this kind of blowback has been a stumbling block in some ways, it did not stop the success of Hogwarts Legacy, and it seems safe to say that many fans will still tune in to return to Hogwarts. If Rowling’s personal brand clashes with this franchise, it will likely happen somewhere down the line, where the results are harder to predict.

All eight Harry Potter movies are streaming now on Max. Rowling’s books are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats. HBO’s new Harry Potter series is expected to premiere in 2026.