The Harry Potter TV show will likely explore different avenues to separate itself from the movies, but there’s a certain element that needs to remain unchanged. The format of a TV show allows for various opportunities that the original movies missed out on when adapting every Harry Potter book. While the coming reboot should distance itself from the famous film series led by Daniel Radcliffe, keeping one specific element intact will be unavoidable when the story is once more reimagined.
The original Harry Potter cast will likely be forever synonymous with their movie roles due to the memorable performances they all delivered. However, it wasn’t just the actors that made the movie adaptations of JK Rowling’s work so iconic. There were many key factors that made the movies so beloved and became intertwined with the story itself. Of all the vital components, there’s one that will be especially sorely missed if it’s not included in Max’s Harry Potter TV show.
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Harry Potter’s TV Reboot Can’t Avoid John Williams’ Score
Max should make use of William’s pre-existing work with the Harry Potter franchise
Although he didn’t score every Harry Potter movie, John Williams is credited with providing the music for the first three installments of the franchise. As such, he established a high standard for his successors. Williams’ work on the earlier Harry Potter movies led to his music and themes becoming strongly associated with the narrative. What many will know as the main Harry Potter theme music is actually called, “Hedwig’s Theme,” and it’s difficult to imagine any future on-screen Harry Potter properties without the composition’s presence. Therefore, it needs to remain in place for the TV show.
By having a new composer work on a new theme for the Harry Potter TV show, Max wouldn’t be able to cash in on the nostalgia with which it’s associated. Although Harry Potter is primarily aimed at younger audiences, many adults remain as part of the fandom, even if it’s in a less active manner. “Hedwig’s Theme” perfectly encapsulates the magic of Rowling’s world and also brings forth pleasant memories for certain portions of the existing fan base. To not have Williams’ music accompany the coming Harry Potter project is a waste of decades of association with the brand.
Max’s Marketing Hints Harry Potter’s Reboot Will Embrace The Movies’ Music
The Harry Potter TV show announcement trailer was promising for the project’s musical intentions
Although it is possible that the Harry Potter TV show will move away from John Williams’ score, the teaser trailer implies the project intends to continue using the famous music from the movies. There’s currently very little promotional material for the TV show adaptation due to the lack of progress production-wise. However, the lone announcement trailer proudly plays “Hedwig’s Theme” when confirming the Harry Potter show is indeed happening.
There will be those who resist the Harry Potter reboot due to their attachment to the original movies, but the TV show increases the chances of bridging the divide by aligning itself with Williams’ score. Although the basis for the show’s music should still come from Williams’ pre-existing contributions, Max’s TV show will eventually drastically exceed the runtimes of the Harry Potter movies. Therefore, additional music will need to be composed and added to accommodate this. However, this is essentially what happened from 2005’s Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire onward, so it would be nothing new for the franchise.
Other Franchises Prove Harry Potter’s Reboot CAN Use Williams’ Score
Spider-Man and James Bond have both reused musical themes in reboots
Harry Potter wouldn’t be the first reboot to capitalize on its franchise’s legacy. There are other examples of properties hitting the reset button but carrying the music over beyond their current iterations. For instance, the MCU’s Spider-Man movies still use a version of the theme song from the 1960s animated show. The music for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies has been given the orchestral treatment and incorporated into the movies’ scores at large, but the legendary melody is still easy to pick out.
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James Bond also remains loyal to its franchise’s iconic music. The James Bond theme is one of the most instantly recognizable pieces of movie music and dispensing with it each time the franchise is rebooted would mean starting from scratch countless times. Although the Bond movies experience a soft reset each time a new lead actor is cast, the most extreme reboot happened at the start of Daniel Craig’s James Bond timeline in 2006. Despite the aesthetic overhaul, the theme music remained in place, which is an example the Harry Potter TV show needs to follow during the reboot.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- First Film
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
- Harry Potter
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen
