The upcoming Harry Potter reboot show has the perfect opportunity to set up a crucial spinoff within the Wizarding World. Over a decade after the last main Harry Potter released, the franchise has found new life with plans to reboot J.K. Rowling’s books and the popular movie franchise that was previously created. The plan is for a massive series retelling the story of Harry Potter, his time at Hogwarts, and his role in bringing down Voldemort. HBO’s Harry Potter show is a new opportunity to explore the Wizarding World and comes with a variety of challenges, but it also gives the franchise an opportunity to explore new stories.
While it is known that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley will be at the heart of this adaptation after recasting Harry Potter‘s characters, the benefit of the longer-form storytelling that TV provides is a chance to tell more stories and flesh out other characters. Considering the overall popularity of the Harry Potter franchise, there is already a thought that this could lead to spinoffs connected to the main show. There are plenty of opportunities to do so, including tackling one of the biggest stories that the previous franchise ignored. If the show is going to build out an entirely new universe, a Marauders spinoff is the best bet.
Harry Potter’s Marauders Explained
Made of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, the Marauders were a group of Gryffindors that wanted nothing more than to prank the school as loudly as they could, protect the honor of their house, and support each other through hard times. Although this group of pranksters is seen in the original movies and book series, the Marauders are not characters often heard of when entering the Harry Potter universe. More often than not, the knowledge of their characters comes from the need to dive further into the Wizarding World, and fanfiction has done a better job of exploring them than the movies or books.
James’ role in the original series was limited, as he died before the franchise even began at the hands of Voldemort. Sirius and Remus are seen scattered throughout, the last of the group to remain fighting in the Wizarding War and the last to remain in contact with Harry. Meanwhile, Peter Pettigrew betrayed Harry’s parents and the other Marauders out of loyalty to Lord Voldemort, killing two of them and sentencing another to a horrible life in prison.
Why The Marauders Need A Spin-Off
The Marauders are barely explored in the original movies, which is exactly why they deserve a spinoff show tied to the Harry Potter reboot. There were a few flashbacks featuring James that show that he was a bully in his past, at least to Severus Snape. The other three — Sirius, Remus, and Peter — were in the movies, but their pasts were not shown. This left audiences with a tease of a greater story but without the deeper context and backstory desired. That is why the passionate fan base behind them has created popular fanfictions, like the All The Young Dudes book, to fill in the gaps.
While the Marauders fanfiction might not be canon, the support for them is further reason for HBO to consider the spinoff show. There’s an entire show’s worth of stories left to tell, and with very few plot points to canonically hit, the series could do almost anything with the characters to make it fit into the reboot canon. This could include telling the stories of the four young wizards while they were still at Hogwarts, serving as a companion to the main story that further explores the school’s history. The Marauders spinoff can also still work by following the characters as adults, allowing the popular fan cast of Ben Barnes as Sirius Black to come to fruition.
One main reason the Marauders having a spin-off would benefit the Harry Potter reboot story is because the characters involved have massive connections to the main story at play. This doesn’t just mean Harry, even though James and Lily’s death weighs on him constantly. The group was taught by most of the same professors as in the original series. They also went to school with Severus Snape, the school’s Potions professor. He has a profound hatred for Harry’s father and all the marauders, so having that story would provide a lot of context for his character and his feelings about Harry.
The New Reboot Would Perfectly Set Up A Spin-Off
The new HBO reboot has the opportunity to set the Harry Potter franchise up for an even larger story. Since the Marauders are already embedded into the series, it would be quite easy to set up a potential spinoff. The original movies started with a flashback to the day of James Potter’s death when Harry was a baby. The show could go back further than that to make the first episode center around the Marauders. It could follow them as adults, leading up to James and Lily having Harry.
The show could also introduce this spin-off through a series of flashbacks. This could mean a longer wait for the Marauders spinoff, as it would need to be set up over a longer period of time. However, with this setup, the two shows could run congruously. The Harry Potter reboot could have scenes throughout its seasons—assuming it’s one book per season—that reference and remember the Marauders based on what the Harry Potter kids are facing in that episode. This would be especially prevalent during the third season, or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as this is when the Marauder’s story is most present.
