With the announcement of the golden trio for HBO's Harry Potter series, and filming set to begin soon, there's no better time to get excited for the first season. The opening season will be based on the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and with more screen time than the movie, almost everything from the book will hopefully be adapted, potentially with some extra flavor on top.
Films & Shows To Watch To See The New Harry Potter Cast
To see more of the new Harry Potter cast on HBO, fans should check out these TV shows and movies.
The following are exciting things to look forward to in season one of Harry Potter, including book-only scenes and iconic moments relived.
This article contains minor spoilers from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book.
7 More Quidditch
Quidditch Hasn't Been Seen Since 2009
Quidditch has not graced screens since the Half-Blood Prince movie in 2009, and throughout the films, its presence was significantly lowered due to time constraints. The Quidditch of the first two films was also not up to scratch compared to later depictions, so it's therefore very exciting to see it return in season one, hopefully in jaw-dropping quality.
In the books, many scenes also take place during training sessions, and most students are more invested in the outcome of the cup. It would also be great to see students talking about their favorite teams from the British and Irish Quidditch League more often, perhaps wearing badges or scarves.
6 More Of Harry's Early Life With The Dursleys
Harry's Childhood Is An Important Building Block In Who He Becomes
With limited time and a wizarding school to reach, the first movie was never going to linger too long on Harry's Muggle childhood. However, with a full season of episodes, a significant portion of the first episode could show just how rough Harry had it with the Dursleys, possibly at primary school too, where Dudley and hand-me-down clothes still haunted him.
In the book, it's also interesting to learn of all the ways in which Harry is not normal, with this soon being explained by the fact that he's not just Harry, but a wizard. For example, Harry's hair grows back at an alarming rate, much to the annoyance of Aunt Petunia, and Harry once accidentally teleported onto the school roof when being chased by Dudley and his gang. While these specific moments might not be shown, as they are often memories, it would be a great setup for the rest of the show to see more of Harry's unique and frankly sad upbringing. Ultimately, the challenges he faces and the lack of love shape the wizard he becomes and makes Hogwarts and his friends all the more important.
5 The Midnight Duel
One Of The Biggest Missing Scenes From The First Book
The first Harry Potter film was able to adapt the majority of the first book due to its relatively short length. However, not everything could be included, and one such event was the midnight duel. While this duel between Harry and Draco Malfoy never actually happened, with Draco instead electing to set up Harry by unleashing Filch on him, the tension would still be great.
During The Midnight Duel chapter, and by escaping Filch, Harry and the others find Fluffy and the trapdoor, whereas this happens slightly differently in the film.
4 Charlie Weasley's Friends Rescuing Norbert
This Should Make For A Good Action Scene
Hagrid's hatchling dragon, Norbert, features in both the book and the film, but his rescue is more action-packed in the book and features a demographic of wizards and witches rarely depicted in the story; young adults. Charlie Weasley, recently graduated from Hogwarts and now working in Romania with Dragons, asks his friends to fly over to Hogwarts before coming to visit him.
The plan is for them to suspend Norbert in a crate held between brooms, but, of course, this must be done in secret at night. Naturally, this should make for a good television scene, and it is small moments like this that will hopefully add up to create a more complete experience.
3 A New Look For Hogwarts
Seeing First Years Look Upon Hogwarts For The First Time Is A Joy
Whilst keeping the same general appearance and charm, Hogwarts has seen many aesthetics over the years, with a change in the third film, and then a more complete layout created for the open world of Hogwarts Legacy. It will be interesting to see which direction they go with for the HBO show, but hopefully it stays consistent throughout the series. Perhaps they will even make it match the layout from Hogwarts Legacy and a potential sequel.
Of course, this will depend on filming locations and whether they choose to use a real castle for some scenes. With more time for buildup, it's entirely possible that the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione see Hogwarts for the first time at the end of the first episode, making for a truly magical moment.
2 Early 90's Nostalgia
Harry Potter Could Do For The 90s What Stranger Things Did For The 80s
Harry Potter takes place from 1991 to 1998, and with the first season of HBO's reboot expected to release in 2026 or 2027, that means the show should feel nostalgic from the off in a way that the first film, released in 2001, perhaps didn't. In fact, there are some instances in the films where the setting appears to be more modern.
For example, in the Half-Blood Prince movie, London's Millennium Bridge is destroyed by Death Eaters, despite only being finished in the year 2000. Some of the clothing sometimes feels out of place, too, in the films. The series, however, can go all in on the early 90s of Britain, hopefully achieving the nostalgia that Stranger Things brought to life for the mid-80s in America.
1 Peeves
The Pesky Poltergeist Was Cut From The Films, But Could Shine In The Series
One of the biggest omissions made by the movies was Peeves, the resident poltergeist of Hogwarts. A particular pain to first years, it will be great to see the mischievous poltergeist brought to life in the first season, and perhaps the success of this role will come down to the lucky actor who lands the role.
Peeves already made a big difference in Hogwarts Legacy, adding more character and even trepidation to the halls of Hogwarts Castle. It will likely prove surprising to many fans who only watched the films, just how many times Peeves impacts the plot, too, often causing Harry to get caught. An example of this will likely happen in the first series if it is a faithful adaptation.
- Showrunner
- Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
- Mark Mylod
- Writers
- Francesca Gardiner
- Franchise(s)
- Harry Potter
Cast
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Dominic McLaughlinHarry Potter -
Janet McTeerMinerva McGonagall -
John LithgowAlbus Dumbledore -
Nick FrostHagrid
