4 reasons a Harry Potter reboot may not be such a bad thing

It’s hard to imagine a revised version of our favorite boy wizard. But a reboot on the wizarding world may not be all that bad.

There has been plenty of talk about rebooting fan-favorite franchises recently, with a television production of The Lord of the Rings currently in the works and whispers about the possibility of revamping the Harry Potter films one day. In fact, Daniel Radcliffe even mentioned that he thinks a Harry Potter reboot could happen eventually.

And while it’s hard to picture anyone else playing our favorite boy wizard, a Harry Potter reboot may not be the worst thing that could happen for the franchise. Yes, it would be strange—and even a little sad—seeing these characters brought to life by different actors and actresses.

But beyond the issue of casting, the truth is that the Harry Potter adaptations could go much further if redone properly. Here are four positive things that could come out of a Harry Potter reboot in the future.

1. The reboot could be more accurate to the books.

One major criticism about the Harry Potter films that already exist is that they don’t always remain accurate to J.K. Rowling’s book series. Much of Rowling’s story is glossed over due to time constraints, something that tends to happen with book-to-screen adaptations, much to readers’ chagrin.

With a reboot, Harry Potter fans could finally see some of the scenes and storylines they’ve been waiting for since the original films began hitting theaters. Nearly Headless Nick could finally have his Death Day Party, and the house elves might actually get a subplot that does them—and S.P.E.W.—a bit of justice.

It would be amazing to see many of the small details that make the Harry Potter books so loved brought to life. This goes for larger scenes also, like the battle at the end of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and the Battle of Hogwarts, which were altered for the big screen.

Assuming whoever takes charge of the possible reboot has been listening to Harry Potter readers, they could correct a lot of the issues fans have with the films. Plus, they’d likely have longer runtimes to work with…

2. The runtime could be longer.

When the Harry Potter movies were initially released, there was some concern about the length of the films—particularly in regards to the later installations. Filmmakers worried fans wouldn’t be willing to sit through overlong features, cutting as much from the original story as they could to keep the adaptations to a reasonable length.

But with films like Avengers: Endgame pushing the limits of movie length, it’s become clear that most fans are willing to sit through longer productions of their favorite stories, even if the runtime is threatening to surpass three hours.

Many book adaptations are also being optioned as television series, with Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy coming to Netflix and Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End  landing a spot on HBO. It’s becoming apparent that long-form features are a better way of capturing the entirety of a story.

With all that in mind, it’s very possible that any reboot of Harry Potter will be much longer than the original films—meaning the newer versions could dedicate far more time to unraveling Harry’s story, thus including many of the smaller details overlooked in the original adaptations.

And let’s be honest. What Harry Potter fan doesn’t want to spend more time in the Wizarding World?

3. There’s better technology for the magic.

When Warner Bros. first began releasing the Harry Potter films, special effects weren’t what they are today. There are many scenes throughout the film series where the CGI and effects are laughably bad, and the visuals didn’t always live up to how popular the series was.

And though the poor effects are sort of endearing, especially to those of us who have grown up watching the films, they certainly don’t stand the test of time. A reboot could allow filmmakers to take the magic and magical creatures of the Harry Potter universe to completely new places. They might even impress us in the process. (Consider how much CGI and special effects have improved with the Fantastic Beasts series.)

4. It might create a new generation of fans.

It’s not that Harry Potter needs much help staying relevant, but if we’re being honest, most kids are picking up the books or movies because other people are telling them to. The Fantastic Beasts films might catch their attention, since they’re newer and more frequently advertised. But an entire generation is missing out on the hype surrounding new Harry Potter books and films.

Rebooting Harry Potter would give older fans a reason to get excited about the original series again—and it would allow newer fans to understand why so many of us waited on long lines at midnight to see these films in the first place.

Of course, revamping the series could also attract new fans, kids and teenagers who might never pick up a Harry Potter book without seeing trailers for a reboot. And if this reboot could turn more muggles into witches and wizards, we’re here for it.

So, will rebooting the Harry Potter franchise be weird for those of us that grew up with the original films? Yes, probably. But it’s likely to happen with or without our approval, and there’s a lot of good that can come from a reboot done correctly.

Of course, Hollywood should totally give us a Marauder’s spinoff before they start messing with the original series again.