MuggleNet’s Rebuttal: A Reboot of the “Harry Potter” Film Series? No, Thank you!
1) The Harry Potter Books are where the real magic lies
Yes, the books and movies are all finished, save for the most anticipated Harry Potter Encyclopedia from J.K. Rowling, and that’s the way it needs to be. The films did indeed bring our beloved Hogwarts Saga to life with faces to bring life to our characters. It is this editor’s opinion that even though only a handful of the cast actually MATCH the book character perfectly (Luna, Hagrid, Snape to name a few), could anyone actually stand to watch another actor play Harry, Ron, and Hermione? Absolutely NOT! They may not match the characters of the books perfectly, but they are OUR Trio!
2) Length of the films
Are there some fans who would love a FIVE-hour movie about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? Sure, there are a few. But the current versions did enough to capture the story of Harry. Were they perfect? Of course not! But in the end do we really need all the great nuances of the books that make them so magical seen in our films? Definitely NOT! Attending a five-hour movie for one book is ludicrous and seeing each book broken down into two or three movies is just preposterous.
3) The Set Design was perfect!
Imagine, if you will, going to see a remake of the Potter-films and Hogwarts castle looks completely different than the final version seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (before it was damaged in battle). What about the beauty of Hogsmeade Village? A different Hogwarts Express? No thank you. Stuart Craig and his staff did a truly magical job with the set designs and creature effects for each movie in the series. Yes, it was a gradual change to the final version, but that in itself did not take away from the beauty of the original film series. What would be gained by recreating another set of props and stages? NOTHING!
4) John Williams
If at this moment the iconic song notes from “Hedwig’s Theme” by the brilliant composer John Williams are not playing softly in your head, then you haven’t been watching the films enough. Another version of Harry Potter in film would not even begin to be authentic if these notes are not played with each film. Each of the composers did a marvelous job in bringing the action and dialogue to the forefront of the film while still be recognizable when just listening to the soundtracks. Therefore, another set of composers and musical interludes would not be the same in any sense of the imagination.
5) New canon doesn’t need film to be enchanting
With the interactive website of J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore, we will be getting new content and canon for quite a few years as the series continues to get released. But even with all the new canon, how would that change the films overall production. Does knowing the marriage history of McGonagall change Dame Maggie Smith’s perfect representation of the character? What about all the wand information, will that change Ollivander’s role in the films? NO! The extra canon is great for us to know when we READ the series, it’s not something we need to know to change our perspectives on what is being displayed on the big screen.
6) The books are ALWAYS better than the films
No matter how hard a production team tries, the words on the page of a book or book series are always more enchanting. Production companies could never match the visualization we get from the words by J.K. Rowling when translated to film. Would it even be possible to satisfy all the fans of the series with a perfect cast and crew made up of the most die-hard Potter fans if given the chance to recreate the film series ourselves? NO! Because each fan has the God given ability to imagine the characters in our own head the way we see it. My Hogsmeade will most certainly be sightly different than your Hogsmeade when we read the story in the books. When it comes to the big screen production, a new set of actors will still never be able to replace the current set of actors we already have nor will it perfectly match the ones we read in the storyline. So what’s the point?
7) We were lucky to have the cast and crew Warner Bros. selected
When it comes to building the perfect cast for any potential reboot, we need to remember that we are still dealing with human individuality and inevitability. There is no possible way to guarantee that a new set of actors would be able to stay together nearly as well as the current film series did. We, the fans and Warner Bros., have to consider ourselves extremely blessed that the only tragic replacement of a main character was when Richard Harris passed away and was replaced by Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. Many of the Hogwarts student “extras” were replaced from the beginning to end, but we didn’t know them that well in the films series version anyway. And the main cast of Hogwarts Students and Professors were there from start to finish. It was a wonderful experience to watch Dan, Rupert, Emma, Tom, Matt, Devon, Alfie, Chris, James, and Oliver, and others grow up before our very eyes. A reboot of the series could include the perfect casting from the start, but if they don’t all stay together till the end, would we have any better of a final product? Doubtful.
What it ultimately comes down to is YOU, the fans of Harry Potter. What would be your reaction to the idea of a rebooted film series? Would you accept it without question because we simply cannot get enough of The Boy Who Lived? Or are you happy with what the original film series did with the story as it stands today? I suppose the only way a reboot of the series is even fathomable to this editor’s mind, is if there was an animated series on television that would follow the complete storyline verbatim, and even that sounds ridiculous.
Feel free to leave your comments below after reviewing both sides of the argument between here and Hypable and tell us what you would want as loyal fans of the series.
