I’d say “we need to talk about the Harry Potter reboot,” but, well, we already are. Ever since Max’s TV adaptation of the beloved Wizarding World saga was announced, everyone predicted that the biggest problem with it would be the casting — how could the studio recreate, or even improve upon, one of the finest ensemble casts of any film franchise? “They can’t” is the answer that’s becoming louder and louder the deeper we get into the show’s casting process.
Case in point: what, in the name of the father, the son, and the neck-holey ghost, is happening with the Hermione casting? Producers are apparently in the process of wading through a dragon-sized 30,000 auditionees to find their perfect new Harry, Ron, and Hermione. A daunting prospect, no doubt, but thankfully sometimes it’s easier to trim the ranks down than others.
According to the Daily Mail, a 42-year-old man surprised casting directors when he sent in an audition tape to try for the part of Hermione. Remember, the reboot will be going right back to the beginning and adapting book one, so they’re ideally looking for an 11-12-year-old girl, not some dude who was already in college by the time The Sorcerer’s Stone movie came out. Unsurprisingly, then, Her-man-ione is said to have failed to pass the first round.
It’s to be expected that finding a fresh Golden Trio is turning out to be the hardest nut to crack for producers, as they need to discover three brand-new talents they can trust to lead this franchise for the next decade throughout the most important developmental years of their little lives. Warner Bros. lucked out immeasurably with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson the first time around, but even they, at various times, have opened up about how much of a struggle it was to contend with the long-term commitment, fame, and scrutiny that came their way at such a young age. This was before social media was even a thing, mind you.
So, on second thought, maybe casting middle-aged actors as the kids would be the safest approach, in terms of protecting the cast’s mental health. Harry Potter meets PEN15 isn’t exactly what we had in mind, but that would be one unique reimagining of the saga, you’d have to give it that. Sadly, we don’t know which 42-year-old actor gave his best shot at becoming Hermione, but personally I’d like to think it was Sebastian Stan.
A grizzled Hermione Granger might not even be the strangest casting the show is subjecting us to, as some wonderful actors have been linked to the production so far but in wildly unexpected roles. See Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Mark Strong as Dumbledore, and Brett Goldstein as Hagrid. Honestly, the notion of Hot Hagrid might be even more alarming than Him-mione.
From showrunner Francesca Gardiner — J.K. Rowling is still involved, however, amid Warner Bros. controversially sticking by her — the Harry Potter reboot is due to start shooting in 2025 at the U.K.’s Warner Bros. Studios where the original movies were shot (can we expect the same sets?). Still, we’re not ready to board the Hogwarts Express just yet. First, they have to find a new Harry, Ron, and Hermione who are so good they could be Daniel, Rupert, and Emma disguised by polyjuice potion. No biggie.
Published: Dec 9, 2024 02:13 pm