Harry Potter TV reboot should bring back original cast to play professors, fans say

Last month, it was officially confirmed that a rebooted Harry Potter TV series is in the works at Max (previously known as HBO Max), but it’s found itself at the centre of controversy for a number of reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the first is due to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s involvement. Rowling continues to face criticism for making harmful comments about the trans community, and earlier this year many gamers boycotted the release of Hogwarts Legacy due to its association with her, although she wasn’t directly involved with its development. With the TV show, on the other hand, Rowling will serve as an executive producer, and once again, many former fans have announced that they won’t be supporting it as a result.

Take a look at the trailer for the rebooted Harry Potter TV series below.

The other part of the show that’s disappointed many is the fact that it’s set to feature an entirely new cast - all the actors that fans have grown up with over the years will be replaced, despite the fact that the series will be a “faithful adaptation” of the original seven books. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter himself, but obviously it’s got to happen given that the show will begin from the first year at Hogwarts.

Over on Reddit though, fans think that they have a good solution. One user shared a couple of screenshots from old interviews with Harry Potter stars Emma Watson and Tom Felton, who both previously expressed that if there was ever a remake “in 30 years”, they could play the professors instead. At the time, Watson suggested that she could be Professor McGonagall, whereas Felton thought he could be Dumbledore, and Radcliffe could be Snape.

Others think that having the original cast members play the older characters is a great idea: “I do like the idea of Tom Felton playing Lucius Malfoy,” TheMagickafox wrote. “Let [Watson] play Bellatrix,” ChiKeytatiOon commented. “I do think Rupert [Grint] would be a great Mr. Weasley,” AnyAcanthopterygii65 added.

Whether any former cast members will make a cameo in the TV series remains to be seen, since it’s meant to “lead a new generation of fandom”. There’s no set release date at the time of writing, either.