00:00Harry, it isn't how you are alike, it's how you are not.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 10 reasons why the new Harry Potter show on HBO is facing controversy.
00:14Professor, what is that?
00:19Something beyond either of our help.
00:23A remake is not warranted.
00:25One of the most obvious reasons for its hate is, well, its very existence.
00:30Many fans are of the opinion that a remake is not warranted, especially considering the age of the franchise.
00:35The last Harry Potter movie came out as recently as 2011, and they all stand up well to this day.
00:40What are those? What are those?
00:43My dress robes.
00:44They're alright. No lace, no dodgy little collar.
00:49Well, I expect yours are more traditional.
00:51Traditional? They're ancient.
00:53You know, minus some wonky effects in the first movie.
00:56And even those who like the idea of a new adaptation are against the concept of a live-action remake.
01:01I wasn't the only one who thought you'd done it.
01:03Everyone's showing it behind your back.
01:08Brilliant. That makes me feel loads better.
01:10Instead, they argue that HBO should have made an animated show.
01:13The style would be in keeping with the story's whimsical tone, and it would differentiate the show from the films.
01:18HBO went with the worst option possible.
01:21It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.
01:28It's solely profit-driven.
01:30Mr. Harry Potter wishes to make a withdrawal.
01:35And does Mr. Harry Potter have his key?
01:40Let's be honest here. HBO did not do this out of some desire to craft a lasting piece of work.
01:46They did it to make money. And lots of it.
01:48Sure, the structure of television and its longer-running times will allow the books to be more accurately adapted,
01:54which is what fans have been clamouring for for years.
01:57But HBO doesn't care about pleasing fans of the books.
02:00Didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, though, did you?
02:03They're pandering to nostalgia and milking a popular franchise until its corpse is a withered husk.
02:09The Fantastic Beasts movies weren't the success that Warner Brothers hoped,
02:12so they turned to HBO to just do the books.
02:15Again.
02:16The fans are seeing through it, and they are not happy.
02:20Anything off the trolley, dears?
02:22No, thanks.
02:24I'm all set.
02:29We'll take the lot.
02:34Whoa.
02:36It won't recapture the magic of the films.
02:38You'll be okay, Harry.
02:40You're a great wizard.
02:42You really are.
02:43Not as good as you.
02:46Remaking Harry Potter is like remaking The Godfather.
02:49You just don't do it.
02:51While the storytelling is admittedly flawed, the technical aspects of the films are second to none,
02:55and they hold a very special place in the hearts of millions of fans.
02:58The iconic cast, filled with some of the most popular British actors in history.
03:03The gorgeous sets and filming locations that brought Hogwarts to life.
03:07The music.
03:08Oh man, the music.
03:09These things are all firmly ingrained in the minds and memories of an entire generation,
03:29and they are all part of a lasting cultural legacy.
03:32Call us pessimists, but there's just no way that the show will be able to recapture that sense of magic.
03:37No pun intended.
03:40Expecto Patronum!
03:43Curious Writer Statements
03:45Curious.
03:49Very curious.
03:51Back in 2024, The Watch host, Andy Greenwald, talked about his upcoming job as a writer on the show,
03:57and what he said did not reassure fans.
04:00In fact, it just made them even angrier.
04:02Greenwald claimed that he had not read all of the books, a fact that upsets die-hard fans who expect a professional writer working on an adaptation to be familiar with the source material.
04:12Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?
04:27No, he doesn't have to have Harry Potter wiki knowledge, but to have not even read them?
04:31It also begs the question on why he took the job in the first place.
04:35We have one idea, and it's obviously not to work on a project that he is passionate about.
04:39I shouldn't have said that.
04:40I should not have said that.
04:43I shouldn't have said that.
04:44Fan Division.
04:45It also doesn't help that the Harry Potter fandom is already deeply divided as it is, which doesn't bode well for the reception of the show.
05:01Some are excited about a new adaptation that will accurately capture the nuances and depth of the novels.
05:07Others think that the movies are perfect.
05:08Is this all real?
05:11Or is it just happening inside my head?
05:13Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry.
05:17Why should that mean that it's not real?
05:20Some thinks HBO is the right home for a project of this magnitude.
05:24Others think that TV won't do the books justice.
05:26Some that don't care about the whole J.K. Rowling controversy are on board with more Harry Potter.
05:32Others have vowed not to touch the franchise again.
05:34It's pretty much a lose-lose scenario for HBO.
05:38No matter what they do, someone is going to be upset.
05:41Severus.
05:52Please.
05:53The Limitations of TV
05:54This lot won't come cheap, ma'am.
05:56The spell books alone are very expensive.
05:58As we mentioned, some fans don't like the idea of a Harry Potter adaptation being on TV, sensing the budgetary limitations of the medium.
06:06There are very few shows that match the cinematic ambitions of the films, except maybe Game of Thrones, which admittedly HBO pulled off.
06:13There was a ton of money thrown at the Harry Potter films to give them a cinematic scope, money that HBO may not have.
06:20But Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money.
06:25For example, the Half-Blood Prince cost $250 million to make, and that was just for 140 minutes of screen time.
06:33With inflation, that's about $370 million.
06:36By comparison, the entire last season of Game of Thrones, totalling over seven hours, cost just over $90 million.
06:43Let's face it, the show is probably going to look cheap.
06:47Red hair and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley.
06:53Weird pacing.
06:54You're a wizard, Harry.
06:58I'm a what?
06:59A wizard. And a thumpin' goodin' I'd wager, once you trade up a little.
07:03The current plan is for HBO to adapt one book per season, but even that opens up problems.
07:09The issue with the movies is that the later films were forced to cut out large chunks of the novel to meet a reasonable running time,
07:16and the opposite will be true for the show.
07:18HBO announced that season one will comprise eight episodes.
07:22How will they stretch Philosopher's Stone into eight hours of content?
07:26Make it move.
07:31Move!
07:33Move!
07:33He's asleep.
07:35He's boring.
07:36Let's say they really take their time.
07:39Then how would they do, say, Order of the Phoenix, which is three and a half times as long?
07:44Will they do 28 episodes?
07:46Of course not.
07:47So we'll be stretched at the start and rushed at the end, opening up some major pacing issues.
07:52She needs to sort out her priorities.
07:55Following Fantastic Beasts.
07:57Mrs. Commander?
07:59Call me Newt.
08:01Newt.
08:02I don't think I'm dreaming.
08:03I'll give it away.
08:04I ain't got the brains to make this up.
08:07This new show has the very unfortunate distinction of following the Fantastic Beasts movies, which left a very sour taste in everybody's mouths.
08:15The first movie was good enough, but the wills fell off hard after that.
08:19The Crimes of Grindelwald was a mess, not to mention the lowest grossing entry in the Wizarding World franchise, with a box office gross of $654 million.
08:27Are you a ghost?
08:29No.
08:31No.
08:32I'm alive.
08:34But I'm an alchemist and therefore immortal.
08:39You don't look a day over $375.
08:40It held that distinction for four years, until The Secrets of Dumbledore beat it with just $400 million.
08:47Yes, it was released in 2022, amidst the lingering fears of COVID, but you know what else was released in 2022?
08:53Top Gun Maverick, which did $1.5 billion.
08:57Let's face it, the franchise failed.
09:00Our war with the muggles begins today!
09:05J.K. Rowling's Involvement
09:09He called me a mudblood.
09:12He did not.
09:13A lot of ink has been spilled regarding J.K. Rowling over the last couple of years.
09:18Her outspoken views have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and they have undoubtedly cast a shadow over the legacy of the franchise.
09:24And that extends to the new show.
09:26It would face controversy simply by existing, as many people have soured on the Harry Potter brand.
09:32How dare you talk to me? You filthy little mudblood!
09:37But Rowling's heavy involvement has only made it worse.
09:41Rowling is an executive producer on the show, and according to HBO CEO Casey Bloys, she is very, very involved in the behind-the-scenes process.
09:50Some would rather that Rowling divorce herself from the series.
09:53So hearing that she is so prominently involved has proved greatly upsetting.
10:00Malfoy, are you okay?
10:02Let's go!
10:04Quick!
10:05Run!
10:05That felt good.
10:08Not good. Brilliant.
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10:25Controversial casting.
10:28Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair.
10:32Your blessed father knew that.
10:34In fact, he frequently thought...
10:36My father was a great man!
10:37Your father was a swan!
10:39Well, let's address the elephant in the room first.
10:42The casting of Papa Esiedu as Snape.
10:45Not only has a major character been race-swapped, which many people don't like in the first place,
10:50but it's a character who is explicitly described as being a sickly, pale, white dude.
10:56Furthermore, it's just going to make characters like Harry and the Marauders look racist by not liking him.
11:01Spelly Armour!
11:02Nice one, James!
11:03James, finish him off!
11:05Dad.
11:05Impenimenta!
11:06Snibbler, Queenstain!
11:08Snibbler, Queenstain!
11:09Right, who wants to see me take off?
11:11Snibbler, he's trout!
11:12And of all the characters to make black, why the reformed wizard Nazi?
11:17But that's not all.
11:18John Lithgow has been cast as Dumbledore, which is also a problem because A, he's American,
11:24and B, he's 80 years old.
11:26Not to send bad juju, but we might have another Richard Harris situation on our hands.
11:31It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live.
11:36Are you looking forward to the series, or do you have doubts?
11:39Let us know in the comments below.
11:41Good luck, Harry Potter.
11:56Good luck, Harry Potter.
12:10Bye.
12:11Good luck.
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