What Harry Potter Needs Going Forward
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| Photo by Rae Tian on Unsplash |
I love Harry Potter, ever since seeing the first movie in the cinemas at age 5. It captured my imagination and inspired me to write my own stories, including a parody of The Philosopher's Stone in the form of an Esquire Bay story; Barry Astrovik and the Magician's Stone. And while some might accuse me of wearing rose-tinted round spectacles, I'm not blind to the fact that there are some things wrong with the franchise as of late. But why is this, and what can be changed or introduced that may fix this?
What We Have Now?
The Seven Books
Beginning in 1997, the book series propelled author J.K. Rowling to fame and made Harry Potter an international phenomenon. The seven book series had critical and commercial success, being translated in 80 languages and selling over 500 million copies.
The world created in the pages of these books is so dense and expansive, that it is ripe for in-depth adaptations and spin-offs (we will get to those later).
The Eight Movies (The Main Series)
When the books became a sensation, it was only natural for some film studio to buy the rights and produce movie adaptations. In this case, it was Warner Bros. Pictures, and they would make eight movies for seven books. Why was this?
While some would cynically say that the reason The Deathly Hallows was split into Parts 1 & 2 was as a money grab, but it was actually because there was too much content in the book to be explored in a two-hour film. But even with this split, there was still a lot of material left out.
This wasn't the first time there was a discussion to split a Harry Potter book into multiple parts, as The Goblet of Fire was also considered, but this idea was dropped. The screenwriter Steve Kloves commented on this, saying;
"We always thought it would be two movies, but we could never figure out a way to break it in two. So it will be a different experience from the book."
It would be hard to imagine what The Goblet of Fire would've been like if it had been split into two parts, but my mother and I have consistently said that we would happily watch a 5-hour version of any of the films if it meant it included more of the book content. This is mainly down to the two of us reading the books as they came out, and then preemptively comparing the films to the books. Whether the general public would want a 5 hour version is another matter, especially when you consider the reactions people had when it was announced that Marvel's Avengers: Endgame would have a runtime of 3 hours.
The Stage Play
In 2013, it was announced to the fandom's surprise that there would be an eighth story set after the final book in the series, The Cursed Child, that would play at London's West End. It was written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, with J.K. Rowling assisting on the story.
The reception was mixed, with the divide seeming to come from whether one had seen the play, or only read the script that was published. While the play is praised for its spectacle and special effects, the story is criticised for inconsistent characterisation and plot holes that have led some to consider The Cursed Child as non-canon.
Me personally... I lay somewhere in the middle. I have only been able to read the script, and I am very curious as to how the Dementors are portrayed on stage, or how they show off the newly revealed powers of the Trolley Lady. But I do have trouble believing that Lord Voldemort, the man born with the inability to love, was able to conceive a child, or indeed be interested in romantic relations of any kind that would lead to conceiving a child. I don't know, it just seems off to me.
The Video Games
The majority of these video games were tie-in games made for the release of the movies, and they were released onto multiple platforms. Below is a list of games and what versions I played over the years;
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (PlayStation)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (XBox Classic)
- Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup (XBox Classic)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (XBox Classic)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (XBox Classic)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PlayStation 3)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PlayStation 3)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (PlayStation 3)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (PlayStation 3)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PlayStation 3)
- LEGO Dimensions - Harry Potter & Lord Voldemort Team Pack/Hermione Granger Fun Pack (PlayStation 4)
- LEGO Dimensions - Fantastic Beasts Level Pack/Tina Goldstein Fun Pack (PlayStation 4)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (iOS)
You may notice that Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is missing from this list, because I didn't have the PlayStation Move functionality, but from the gameplay I've seen, I don't think I'm missing much.
Some of the highlights for me were Prisoner of Azkaban, the LEGO Games, and Quidditch World Cup - that was a game that I would play over and over again. While others played FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer, I played Quidditch. And I have no regrets... other than perhaps not being able to collect all of the in-game Chocolate Frog cards.
In this age of mobile gaming, there are a couple of Harry Potter mobile games, but the only one I'm actively playing is Hogwarts Mystery, and while I'm enjoying the story and the RPG elements, the game is hindered by the usual tropes of freemium games, like microtransactions and an energy system that makes it difficult to advance through the story.
Attractions and Theme Parks
There are two major attractions based around the Harry Potter IP; the Harry Potter Studios, where you can see the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking process; and Universal Orlando's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I personally have only been able to go to the former, as it is in based in Watford, UK, so I was able to visit it while staying with family one summer. This attraction is brilliant for those who are into film and filmmaking like I am, and fans of the films will enjoy it as well, but for those adrenaline junkies looking for thrills, they might be better suited for the Orlando resort.
The major problem that I have with the Orlando resort is that it couldn't have been in Scotland like Hogwarts canonically is, though this is due to many factors; the Scottish weather is not particularly favourable for a theme park, and trying to build a theme park in the Highlands would likely cause environmental concerns. Still, wouldn't it have been great to experience what Hogwarts would like in authentic British weather?
Fantastic Beasts Film Series
Okay... now we're encountering the elephant in the room.
While Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was a critical and commercial success, its sequel The Crimes of Grindelwald did not fare so well, as it suffered similar criticisms that befell The Cursed Child; overly convoluted plots, inconsistent characters and revelations that feel false. I mean, Aurelius Dumbledore? It just doesn't make sense if we take it at face value, and still doesn't make much sense with any amount of fan theories.
In my opinion, The Crimes of Grindelwald shouldn't have been a direct sequel to Fantastic Beasts. The Fantastic Beasts series, which is to consist of five movies, should have been loosely connected with the throughline of Grindelwald's rise to power, focusing on different characters in different locations. Keep Fantastic Beasts as it is, with an adventure set in New York with a mostly American cast, then the sequel have a mostly new cast from another country, and continue this pattern until the fifth movie, which depicts the legendary duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
While it would have been a shame to lose characters like Newt and Tina, it would have helped each film stand on their own and explore more of the Wizarding World. As well as that, the character arcs of the main characters of Fantastic Beasts felt complete, and then they were undone for the sequel.
This list is only a portion of all the products made for the Harry Potter franchise, and includes other items like toys, clothing, stationary and much more.
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| A timeline of the Wizarding World, consisting of the Fantastic Beasts series, Hogwarts Mystery, the Harry Potter series and The Cursed Child. |
What We Need?
While it seems like we already have so much Harry Potter content - to the point where you might consider it oversaturation - there is more that could be done that may win back the favour of the disillusioned fandom and the passive public.
New Spin-off Books
There has been requests from fans for years that J.K. Rowling to write a prequel series following the school days of the Marauders; James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. While she has said she wouldn't write any series about the Marauders, Rowling did write a short story about James and Sirius encountering a Muggle policeman.
A whole seven book series about the Marauders might not work though, as there may be too little story to span seven novels, though a collection of short stories spanning the seven years might work; like in one story, the friends discover Lupin's secret after weeks of elaborate spying, or in another, we find out what happened on James and Lily's first date.
The other spin-off books that have already been published have been successful, such as the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. If other textbooks were to be written, the obvious one would be Hogwarts: A History - no other book in the seven novels has been referenced as often, and it would make fans feel as intelligent as Hermione Granger - and perhaps just as frustrated when they discover other people haven't memorised it cover-to-cover like Hermione.
An Animated TV Series
While some would expect Warner Bros. to reboot the main Harry Potter films, I would be against this, as it would feel too similar to what we already have. But what would work is an animated television series.
Why animated? For one thing, it would make it visually distinct from the live-action films. It would also allow for more creative designs and action sequences.
And why a television series? It would allow everything in the books to be included if the narrative is spread out over more parts, as well as not losing audiences with the prospect of sitting through a 5 hour film. We have already seen an example of a book series which was adapted into a condensed film be remade to greater acclaim as a television series in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Whether I'd want Netflix to make a Harry Potter TV series is another matter though.
New Video Games
In the last few months, there have been rumours and leaks about an upcoming role-playing game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, in which you play a 19th-century student exploring an open-world Hogwarts and can choose to align yourself with either the light or dark side. If this does prove to be a real game, this would be a great first step in creating the next great Harry Potter game.
But one that should have come already in my opinion is a remake or sequel to Quidditch World Cup. A modern update would allow for a large roster of teams - why wasn't Ireland included in the original? - and perhaps a more in-depth campaign. Imagine creating your own player and following their Quidditch career from playing for their House at Hogwarts, joining one of the national teams like the Holyhead Harpies or the Chudley Cannons, and then qualify for the international teams and compete against Viktor Krum or Aidan Lynch - seriously, why wasn't Ireland, the winning team of the World Cup in The Goblet of Fire, not included?
Hogwarts Hotel for Witches and Wizards
While Scotland lost out on having a Harry Potter theme park, but the next best thing may be a Hogwarts Hotel. People would absolutely want to spend a couple of nights at Hogwarts. The dormitories would be the guest rooms; the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw rooms at the Seventh Floor, and the Slytherin and Hufflepuff rooms in the Dungeons. The Great Hall would obviously be the dining room/cafeteria, though preferably without the slave labour of the House Elves doing all the cooking. The classrooms could be conference rooms for meetings or private functions. The Quidditch Pitch, the sports arena. And Hogsmeade Village, the retail area, where one can buy their souvenirs, or get some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, or get their groceries - surely Hogsmeade has some kind of supermarket? They have two pubs and a joke shop, you'd think they'd have a supermarket? Asda Kedavra, perhaps?
And a hotel would be more feasible for Scotland, as weather wouldn't be too much of a hinderance, and shouldn't have too much of an environmental impact. In fact, the environment would also be a feature of the hotel; go hiking behind the castle, kayak on the nearby loch, they could even introduce a natural reserve to act as the Owlery.
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