Almost fifteen years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, HBO is coming up with its new Harry Potter TV series in 2026. This was confirmed in 2023 and the series will follow the books closely, with each season adapting one book.
HBO's Harry Potter series is set to run for a decade with a brand-new cast. It has been in development for a while, with filming set to begin in the summer of 2025. Since the announcement of the series, fans have been curious about how HBO will adapt the story, and whether it will be able to cover everything from the books.
The first season of HBO's Harry Potter series will follow J.K. Rowling's debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The book introduces us to a young boy named Harry Potter who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday.
Harry receives an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and together they overcome numerous challenges. While the first book is fast-paced, it forms the base of the narrative.
Following the first book's success, J.K. Rowling penned down six more fantasy novels, which were adapted into the film series. And now, it would be intriguing to know how the Harry Potter TV series will adapt the first book effectively, given the runtime of just eight hours.
Can HBO's Harry Potter TV series do justice to J.K. Rowling's first book?
As mentioned earlier, the first season of HBO's TV series will only have a runtime of eight hours, likely consisting of eight episodes. This has become common among streaming shows as the episode count has dropped to eight from the traditional ten episodes.
So, eight hours to adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the first season of the Harry Potter TV series might not be that challenging for HBO. The book has only 300 pages, making it the shortest yet the most important book in the fantasy novel series.
The original movie version of Sorcerer's Stone lasted three hours and covered the main plot quite well. However, the film omitted a few details like Peeves the poltergeist and a few parts in Snape's role which the Harry Potter TV series can effectively cover.
Also Read: Is there a Twilight TV show on Netflix? Everything we know so far
HBO has got an extra five hours to adapt the first book uniquely and feature all major details including the parts fans didn't get to watch in the film. Interestingly, the official Instagram page of Harry Potter recently shared five things about the upcoming series.
And one of them is the introduction to Peeves, whom we didn't see in the first film. This was confirmed by executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod. They said:
"We'll get to have some fun with Peeves in the corridors!"
So, by taking care of the omissions from the films, HBO's Harry Potter TV series has an incredible chance to adapt the narrative effectively. However, the bigger concern is how the series will manage its future seasons which will adapt to the longer books.
Also Read: Did the new Invincible Season 3 poster drop a huge spoiler? Explained
HBO's Harry Potter TV series will introduce new locations
While the addition of iconic locations like the Hogwarts staffroom is quite obvious, HBO's Harry Potter TV series will also introduce viewers to new locations. As shared in the same Instagram post, the executive producers explained that they followed the idea of Hogwarts being a "real place".
This allowed them to dive deep into the narrative and showcase their creativity. Not only this but the makers will also ensure following canonical ages during the casting process. In simple words, HBO's Harry Potter TV series aims to match the age of each character with Rowling's book.
However, it would be worth exploring how the future seasons of the TV series will be able to adapt other books, especially Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows, which are comparatively longer than the first book. Considering their complexity and depth, HBO might require at least a 10-hour run.
Trending
Also Read: Why would NCIS alum Pauley Perrette 'Never return' to acting? Details explored
Continue exploring SoapCentral for regular updates on TV series, films, and more!
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
