Key Takeaways
- Franchise Longevity: The Harry Potter franchise remains a significant part of popular culture even years after the original films.
- New Adaptation: HBO is set to produce a new television adaptation that will expand on the original story.
- Bonnie Wright’s Perspective: Bonnie Wright expressed her thoughts on the pressures faced by the new cast and the value of continuing the franchise.
- Wider Universe Potential: Wright hopes to see stories from other characters and eras within the Harry Potter universe explored in future adaptations.
The Harry Potter franchise has never really left the conversation, even all these years after the original film series wrapped up. The books still have a massive hold on readers, the movies remain comfort-viewing staples, and the Wizarding World continues to find new ways to keep itself alive. Now, HBO is getting ready to take fans back to Hogwarts with a new television adaptation, one that will retell the story across a much bigger canvas. That naturally comes with a lot of curiosity, especially from fans who grew up with the original cast.
One of those original stars has now shared how she feels about the upcoming reboot. Speaking to Collider’s Maggie Lovitt during a panel at this weekend’s Calgary Expo, Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley across the original Harry Potter films, opened up about the new generation of actors stepping into the Wizarding World. Wright seemed thoughtful about how different the experience would be for the new cast, especially because the world around them has changed so much since the original films were made. She told the audience in attendance:
“I guess it’s difficult for us, because they’re on the other side of it. I’m sure it’s more intense for those [actors]. When we were starting to do those stories, like we were saying, social media wasn’t a thing. The world just wasn’t the same. So I feel like it’s just very different.”
When Wright, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, and the rest of the young cast first entered the franchise, they were becoming famous in a very different version of celebrity culture. There were tabloids, press junkets, premieres, and massive fan attention, obviously, but the constant online reaction machine wasn’t what it is now. For the new HBO cast, every costume reveal, set photo, performance choice, and line delivery will probably be picked apart in real time. Wright also made it clear that, despite the pressure facing the new cast, she sees value in the franchise continuing. She added, “And the only thing I believe I do celebrate is that it’s continuing. That people still want to tell these stories and be in that world.”
Bonnie Wright Wants More Stories From the Wizarding World
Wright also spoke about the wider potential of the Harry Potter universe and how the new series will give fans even more than the film series was able to. Her comments are especially interesting because they don’t just focus on Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the original Hogwarts years. As a fan of the stories herself, Wright said she’d love to see the franchise explore other corners of the Wizarding World, particularly characters and eras that the original movies didn’t have time to fully unpack. She told Lovitt:
“As a fan of stories, there’s like a million different characters that I’d love to pick up shows to. I love all the Aurors that make up the Order of the Phoenix. I love the Marauders’ Map story. I love Lupin, Sirius Black, all those. As a fan of stories, I want that story because I feel like we spend so much time with our characters. So I honestly love a new story and a new world to spin off. I would love to see, like, the ten years before Harry’s parents die, that [time].”
That’s a pretty relatable take, especially for longtime fans who have spent years asking for a proper Marauders-era project. The friendship between James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew has always been one of the most heavily discussed pieces of Harry Potter lore, despite barely getting real screen time in the films. The same goes for the original Order of the Phoenix, the First Wizarding War, and the years leading up to Voldemort’s first fall. For now, HBO’s series is expected to go back to the beginning and adapt the original books again; but now that the seal has been broken anything is possible.
HBO’s Harry Potter will premiere on Christmas Day.
