Daniel Radcliffe and the gang bowed out from the Wizarding World ten years ago when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released, sending the eight-film series out in a blaze of critical and commercial glory, where it comfortably reigned as the highest-grossing franchise in the history of cinema until the Marvel Cinematic Universe started to gather momentum.
Even though the story of The Boy Who Lived wrapped up a decade ago, though, the popularity of the brand shows no signs of diminishing. The jury is still very much out on the Fantastic Beasts prequels, but J.K. Rowling’s literary creation looks guaranteed to enjoy the sort of pop culture longevity that spans generations. That’s why it comes as a surprise that reception to the news that HBO Max were inviting pitches for shows set in the Harry Potter universe has been decidedly mixed.
Some fans are thrilled at the prospect of revisiting the world in episodic form, while others think Warner Bros. might be running one of their biggest cash cows into the ground, and then there are those very much against the idea of Rowling continuing to profit after a huge section of the fanbase rallied against her, as you can see below.
There are so many stories that can be told within the wizarding world. Can't wait to see what they do in #HarryPotter TV series! I'm mega excited!
— George 🍿🎥 (@georgeviews) January 25, 2021
My dream has finally come true with a Harry Potter TV series in the works!? It always made me so sad that they left out major/minor plot lines from the books in the movie franchise. I’m honestly so excited! Even if it’s just a spin off I’m so over the moon. 🧙🏻💫
— nicki ricki 🍂 (@nickixricki) January 25, 2021
HBO Max wants to create a Harry Potter TV show. That’s probably a bad idea for obvious reasons. #JKR https://t.co/pBWRCGn5L6
— Bookstacked – YA Book News (@Bookstacked) January 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/LucyPaola01/status/1353770376887750656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353770376887750656%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdecider.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fharry-potter-tv-show-fans-react%2F
Harry Potter and the TV Show that Should Have Stayed a Movie https://t.co/DxNLaOzGVt
— jessie Ballard (@jdogfrizzle) January 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/DARKDlOR/status/1353781773667356674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353781773667356674%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdecider.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fharry-potter-tv-show-fans-react%2F
if you care about the wellbeing and safety of your trans friends and the trans community in general, stop giving money to official Harry Potter things. fanmade stuff is fine. but seriously. stop giving money to She Who Must Not Be Named.
— hayley of the pride ⁷ 🐙🐋🇺🇦 (@hayleystjames) January 25, 2021
Me realizing JK Rowling still gonna get Cash for the Harry Potter series pic.twitter.com/Csn1Nc9X4H
— 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊♡ (@Neptune_Leo22) January 25, 2021
man, a few years ago I would've lost my SHIT over an HBO Harry Potter show. I've been saying for a decade that it would be perfect for a long-form, high-budget series.
but since that show will put money into the pockets of an unapologetically transphobic piece of garbage… nty
— Ginny Di 🔜 PAX Unplugged (@itsginnydi) January 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/Xboxboss245/status/1354059094139817984
https://twitter.com/POVBLOOM/status/1353988632965734400
https://twitter.com/RioBean5/status/1354024458240094210
The sprawling mythology is worth tens of billions of dollars across all forms of media, so it wasn’t as if the studio were ever going to let Harry Potter sit on a shelf gathering dust, even after the final three Fantastic Beasts blockbusters are eventually released. Of course, we still know absolutely nothing about what form the project will ultimately take, but it looks as though winning over the fans is going to be a lot more difficult than initially expected.
