This week's Your Nerd Side Show:
David Heyman, who produced all eight of Warner Bros.' Harry Potter films, recently gave an update on the forthcoming series adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved novels.
Speaking with Total Film, Heyman -- who is an executive producer on the Harry Potter TV reboot -- revealed that the project is still in its "early days." He explained, "We haven’t even hired a writer to begin writing. It’s a bit early. But hopefully [it will be] something that’s very special, and gives us an opportunity to see the books, and to enjoy a series which explores the books more deeply."
While the Harry Potter film adaptations were well-received by the fandom, they were forced to condense the novel into a two-hour runtime, meaning that several storylines and characters never made it onto the big screen. According to Heyman, that likely won't be an issue for the television series which will have more runtime at their disposal.
The Harry Potter TV series was officially announced by the Max streaming service in April 2023. The series will be adapted over 10 years and has Rowling attached as an executive producer along with Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. "Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally," Max said in a statement. At this time, with the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it is unknown when the series might begin casting, let alone filming.
Could Daniel Radcliffe Appear in the TV Reboot?
Following the announcement of the TV reboot, Harry Potter fans began wondering if any of the film cast members might make a cameo in the Max series, particularly Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively. While Grint and Watson have not addressed the possibility of appearing, Radcliffe has, stating in July that he was "definitely not seeking it out in any way." He added, "My understanding is that they're trying to very much start fresh and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,"
Radcliffe, Grint and Watson starred in all eight Harry Potter film series, which were released almost annually from 2001 to 2011. Critically and commercially acclaimed, the franchise collectively grossed $7.7 billion at the global box office. Following the series' conclusion, Warner Bros. expanded on the original franchise with the spinoff/prequel series Fantastic Beasts. Debuting in 2016, Fantastic Beasts primarily focused on Albus Dumbledore and his agents' quest to defeat Grindelwald ahead of the First Wizarding War and World War II.
Unfortunately, the Fantastic Beasts series did not achieve the same critical and commercial success as Harry Potter, with the third film -- The Secrets of Dumbledore -- becoming the lowest-grossing installment in the Wizarding World franchise. Originally intended as a five-film saga, it is unknown at this time if Warner Bros. still plans to finish Fantastic Beasts or if the franchise will end without a proper conclusion.
All eight Harry Potter films are currently streaming on Max. The Harry Potter TV series reboot does not yet have a release date.
Source: Total Film
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