Earlier this week, HBO Max was rebranded as "Max," and Warner Bros. wasted no time in announcing that Harry Potter is being 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 child actors will obviously be cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, it won't be an easy task for those expected to step into the shoes of the iconic performers who brought the likes of Severus Snape and Hagrid to life on the big screen.
Regardless, a new rumour suggests we can expect the franchise to be a lot more diverse when it returns.
Talking on The Hot Mic podcast (via SFFGazette.com), Jeff Sneider revealed that Warner Bros. is prioritising diversity with this adaptation, and adds that there's a "concerted effort" to cast "more people of color" in the show. Behind the scenes, the expectation is that there will also be an increased number of writers who are also POC.
Finally, Sneider would point out there's a strong chance a Black actress will play Hermione, no great surprise when that's often been the case on stage for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway and the West End.
If it does happen, we just hope Warner Bros. has plans in place to protect that child from the inevitable racist abuse that will sadly be thrown at them in certain corners of the internet.
This new Harry Potter series doesn't currently have anything close to resembling a premiere date, but it is officially in the works.