Earlier this year, HBO Max was rebranded as "Max," and Warner Bros. wasted no time in announcing that Harry Potter will be rebooted as a TV series. The streamer has a decade-long plan for the Wizarding World franchise, and new actors will take over these iconic roles for what's been described as an "authentic" retelling of J.K. Rowling's novels.
The movies remain beloved, of course, but it's been 22 years since The Philosopher's Stone/The Sorcerer's Stone was released in theaters and 12 years since The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 wrapped up the story.
With that in mind, we can't deny that now feels like the right time for a reboot, especially after the Fantastic Beasts movies struggled to attract the same huge audience as the main Harry Potter series.
While a young trio of newcomers will obviously be cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, it's hard not to wonder whether we'll see some familiar faces from the franchise's past. Cameo appearances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint would be fun, albeit potentially distracting, and the original Boy Wizard has no interest in showing up on Max!
"My understanding is that they're trying to very much start fresh and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere," Radcliffe recently told ComicBook.com. "So I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way."
"But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it."
Talks of a big screen adaptation of The Cursed Child appear to have died a death in recent months, presumably because Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have all moved on from their respective roles. It won't be easy for any actors to follow what's become before, and a totally fresh start will help the new cast escape the shadow of the past.
This new Harry Potter series doesn't currently have anything close to resembling a premiere date, but it is officially in the works.