No, Harry Potter Reboot Shouldn't Be Book-Accurate: It Wouldn't Fly These Days
A new story was supposed to bring something different to the existing world.
Summary:
- HBO said the new Harry Potter reboot will be faithful to the original books.
- Many fans criticize the franchise for its lack of representation of any kind.
- The reboot should have brought more POC into the story.
Over the years, the Harry Potter franchise has become one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 21st century. And it's no wonder: the captivating story of the boy who lived mixed with the dangers and magic of the Wizarding World is something that can grab your attention forever and turn you into a hardcore fan right after the first book or movie.
That's why when the news of the upcoming TV reboot hit the Internet, fans of the saga were mostly happy to hear that their favorite story would be told once again. However, it seems that there's still some kind of controversy behind the whole story.
The thing is, the Harry Potter universe has recently been accused of a lack of representation, and fans got the idea that maybe the new adaptation can serve the purpose of correcting that.
However, the recent news from the show's producer David Heyman made that almost impossible, as he claimed that the new adaptation will still be faithful to the original books. This means that all the characters will stay in their old canon and there will probably be no additions to the story or changes to the existing personalities.
What’s Wrong With Harry Potter?
The main criticism of the saga is the lack of representation, which frankly isn't surprising since it wasn't as important an issue when the books and movies were made as it is today.
For example, the Harry Potter universe has no representative of the LGBTQ+ community, although J.K. Rowling herself recently commented on the fact that Albus Dumbledore is canonically gay.
There are also almost no non-white characters in the films, and while there are a few minor POC characters, they're all given stereotypical plots and not explored enough.
The reboot, for example, could expand Cho Chang's story and make her more important to the overall narrative.
There is no release date for HBO Harry Potter yet, but we expect the project to take at least several years to complete.