5 Harry Potter spinoffs we’d rather see than a remake series
By Anwesha Nag
Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that a new Harry Potter TV series was coming to Max, formerly HBO Max.
The announcement polarized fans. Some were ecstatic about the possibility of a “faithful adaptation” covering all the details from the books that were left out in the original movies. Others thought a reboot was needless, and worried that the new show wouldn’t stray far from the movies in any case. After all, the first teaser video pulled fonts and designs from the films, not to mention John Williams’ iconic musical theme.
To put it simply, the announcement had some fans wondering, “What is the point?” Well, the point is likely to make money. However, if WBD wants to keep milking the Harry Potter franchise, there are ways to do it that don’t retread on old ground. Why not make a spinoff or a prequel series to give the fans something new to obsess over? Last year, series like House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showed what a prequel show could look like. Harry Potter has the material. The executives just need the will.
In that spirit, here are a few ideas for Harry Potter spinoff shows we’d rather watch than a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s original book series:
1) The Marauders’ Era
The Marauders is the name given to Harry Potter’s father James and his friends back when they were at Hogwarts, whom we meet as full-grown adults during Harry’s story. A Marauders series is at the top of many fans’ lists of Harry Potter shows they’d most like to watch.
Countless Tumblr and Wattpad fanfiction stories have been written about the Marauders. In fact, it is so popular that there is an almost unanimously established fan-casting of the four leads: Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Potter, Ben Barnes as Sirius Black, Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin, and Dane DeHaan as Peter Pettigrew. Those actors are too old to play school-boys now, but that should tell you how long fans have wanted this.
A show could explore the childhoods of the Marauders, their lives in Hogwarts, their complicated relationship with Severus Snape, the romance between James and Lily Evans, Lupin’s struggle with lycanthropy, their eventual participation in the war against Voldemort, Pettigrew’s betrayal…there’s a ton to cover here.
The show could span multiple seasons and end with Voldemort attacking Godric’s Hollow, Harry’s childhood home. It would require an excellent post-credit scene, where we see Sirius Black getting arrested for crimes he never committed and an infant Harry getting left at the Dursleys.
