Welcome (back) to Hogwarts: Re-adaptation,intertextuality,and cultural disputes in the Harry Potter reboot

From Adaptation to Reboot

To meaningfully address rebooting as a media process and understand why the Harry Potter series primarily fits within this category, it is necessary to explore academic perspectives on the logics of adaptation, repetition, and seriality in which reboots are embedded. Literature describes the consolidation of a cultural crossroads centered on the constant repetition of media content. Critics often point to a perceived lack or decline of creativity, sophistication, or originality in media production; while others identify repetition, continuation, and redundancy as fundamental characteristics of the culture industry throughout its history (Eco 2005; Johnson 2013; Klein and Palmer 2016; Tredy 2021). Based on this framework, the proliferation of derivative media products serves both consumers and the industry: it enhances user choice and fosters emotional engagement, while minimizing financial and creative risk through content recycling (Loock 2016; Meehan 1991). In short, as Hesmondhalgh (2018) argues, cultural industries favor predictable, recognizable, and reproducible production models as a strategy to reduce economic and symbolic risk.

This debate over originality in media production continues today and is increasingly tied to contemporary media processes, such as the rise of streaming services. Regarding this relationship, Cuelenaere (2024) concludes that the persistent inclusion of sequels, remakes, and other derivative content in streaming platforms suggest that “the rise and expanding significance of SVOD platforms, forerun by Netflix, appear to represent less of a fundamental revolution, let alone modification to the tried and tested content strategies that have been recycled for decades in Hollywood” (p. 1007).

As part of the ongoing debates surrounding cultural originality, media adaptation has emerged as a phenomenon of great relevance within the contemporary media landscape, one whose implications have been extensively examined in academic literature. Notably, a cultural hierarchy becomes discernible, with literature positioned above cinema, and cinema above television (Stam 2005); this dynamic is further reflected in adaptation processes (Wells-Lassagne 2017). In a similar vein, Bataille (2021) highlights the persistence of “implicit cultural hierarchies that place the classic above the derivative, and cinema above television as an art form, as both the film and the television show appear as secondary works” (p. 162).

In contrast, although their concept of remediation does not refer directly to media adaptation, Bolter and Grusin (1999) describe a media interplay in which new media absorb the particularities and affordances of older ones, thereby eroding the boundaries between old and new forms. Likewise, the diegetic complexity introduced by adaptation processes should be noted, as it blurs distinctions between media. Examples include the establishment of diegetic continuity and the construction of diegetic time when multiple adaptations of the same narrative coexist, despite the difficulty of achieving diegetic equivalence (Harris 2021; Proctor 2023; Tredy 2021; Wells-Lassagne 2017). Furthermore, through the concept of multiplicities, Klein and Palmer (2016) refer to texts that transcend their self-contained dimension and become part of textual pluralities through categories such as the remake, reboot, or spin-off.

As an evolution of these ideas, Proctor (2014) discusses the emergence of a poststructuralist interpretive paradigm in which the binary distinction between source texts and adaptations becomes blurred due to the proliferation of products and content emerging within franchises or media matrices, understood as frameworks in which multiple diegeses coexist, such as the Batman brand. Similarly, Kelleter and Loock (2017) challenge categorical distinctions between originals and adaptations, emphasizing the commodification not only inherent to derivative forms, but also to those supposedly self-contained source texts that are often perceived as having transcended their commercial origins. Addressing this further, Proctor (2023) analyzes the cinematic adaptation of IT, Stephen King’s novel, identifying a re-adaptation process whereby the novel was first adapted for television and subsequently adapted as a film. He highlights the complexity arising from such process, for example, in the replication link established between the IT films and the literary work, but also between the cinematic re-adaptation and the earlier television adaptation.

For her part, Wells-Lassagne (2017) delves into televisual adaptation, highlighting its rise within a media context that demands a massive production of content. She also underscores the impact of television’s formal characteristics on adaptation processes. For instance, the extended duration of serial storytelling across episodes and seasons, the popularity of a given cast, and audience responses influence the development and shape of TV adaptations.

As a result of all these media adaptation processes, rebooting has emerged as one of the most widely employed strategies within the culture industry. To advance the understanding of the logics shaping the production of a series like Harry Potter, it is essential to explore the development, characteristics, limitations, and relationships of the reboot with other categories of media production. First, Proctor (2023) notes the complexity of conceptualizing the reboot and points out a scholarly lag regarding its features and implications. He also laments the conceptual confusion surrounding the term and the resulting tendency toward academic frameworks that oversimplify media production contexts. Kelleter and Loock (2017), in contrast, downplay the need for fixed categories and conceptual definitions of production models such as reboots. They argue that media products rarely correspond perfectly to the theoretical classifications established in academic discourse.

Despite the difficulty of defining the reboot, various approaches have been proposed to conceptualize it. Proctor (2023) describes it primarily as a “strategy of regeneration” (p. 2) in which a new text replaces an earlier one in terms of narrative continuity. Similarly, Scahill (2016) states that “rebooting has become a popular way to promote films and other media forms that revisit familiar narratives with an altered origin story, narrative approach, or artistic aesthetic” (p. 317). Meanwhile, Tryon (2013) defines it as the result of “aesthetic and economic attempts to revive familiar Hollywood franchises through the promotion of textual novelty and another around technological and industrial ideologies of progress” (p. 433), highlighting technological innovation as both a catalyst and a significant feature of the reboot, as also noted by Kelleter and Loock (2017). Another approach to defining and contextualizing the reboot lies in distinguishing it from the remake. Several authors (Proctor 2023; Scahill 2016) agree that the remake is a recreation or reproduction of a source text, whereas the reboot reimagines and restarts a fictional narrative.

Therefore, the incorporation of rebooting into media production practices has led to divergent academic positions regarding its objectives and characteristics. On this matter, Proctor (2023) emphasizes the disruptive nature of reboots and their emergence as a strategy for commercially and narratively restoring failed media products. In contrast, Loock argues that the contemporary function of the reboot departs from disruptive motivations and instead operates as a nostalgia-driven mechanism. As she puts it, “memory and nostalgia enter the reboot equation and the concept itself begins to change: the reboot now preserves and upholds the past rather than overwriting and reconfiguring it” (Loock 2025, 514).

Consistent with this perspective, Fleury et al. (2019) distinguish between soft and hard reboots. The former refers to media products that do not entirely discard the previous continuity of their franchise or matrix, whereas the latter involves a complete break, discarding any prior continuity. It is also worth emphasizing the partial and potentially cyclical nature of the reboot (Klein and Palmer 2016). That is, like other multiplicities, a reboot displaces earlier texts without ever fully replacing them, and it may, over time, become the subject of rebooting itself.

Additionally, while not focusing specifically on rebooting practices, Loock (2016) explores the implications of film remakes of television series, suggesting that they may preserve their originals through textual connections such as recycled soundtracks, cameos, and metareferences that reinforce the cultural value of the originals as classics. She also points to the relevance of TV series revivals, often motivated by the emotional bonds audiences have formed with their original texts (Loock 2025).

Regarding the cultural positioning of reboots and other derivative productions within the contemporary media landscape, Loock (2025) highlights the complexity of many of these multiplicities, which aim to offer a cultural update reflecting issues such as political correctness, feminism, and racial diversity. According to the author, even though reboots and revivals may project a perspective of cultural change or correction, the repetition inherent in these types of productions can undermine their transformative potential. Overall, such media products are situated within a context where they are expected to align with dominant esthetics and reflect the evolution of cultural paradigms and representational norms (Loock 2018).

In line with this, Benson (2022) introduces the concept of franchise refurbishment to interpret the expansion of franchises, such as the Disney Princesses, as a textual and industrial mechanism of cultural updating. Through franchise refurbishment, the intellectual property of the culture industry is adjusted to better align with contemporary cultural parameters, particularly regarding gender politics. Then, previous productions or classic versions are not discarded or framed as needing full rebooting; rather, they remain part of the canon and the cultural imaginary, and their legacy is enriched through culturally reframed reboots or sequels.

To conclude this section, it is useful to briefly examine the media industry’s broader tendency, closely connected to adaptations and reboots, to avoid definitive endings. In a journalistic analysis published nearly a decade ago, Rogers (2015) coined the notion of forever franchises to describe the consolidation of a media landscape increasingly reliant on shared universes and similar devices to orient its production toward infinity. This perspective is reinforced by academic analyses, such as that of Klein and Palmer (2016), who argue that multiplicities tend to elude endings, as “they can be constantly told, retold, reconfigured, and spread across platforms” (p. 12). The idea is also echoed by the description of the emergence of a media paradigm defined by a sense of infinitude, wherein media narratives forego closure to extend indefinitely (Echauri 2025a).

Media Nostalgia

On another note, it is important to explore the consolidation of nostalgia as a key element in the development of cultural products and media experiences such as the new Harry Potter series. Consequently, a long-term model of seriality emerges that is built on nostalgia to ensure continuation, exemplified by the sustained expansion of franchises such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park, among many others (Loock 2025).

Nostalgia as a media factor is then a driving force behind productions that evoke specific personal moments and broader cultural contexts. Loock (2016, 2025) argues that remakes and other content categories serve as a form of cultural memory. They do so by evoking personal memories associated with the source texts of such productions, offering, among other things, a sense of satisfaction in revisiting familiar narratives. In short, these productions:

Are designed to mobilize memories and sentimental attachments that are not confined to the movies but reach beyond their borders to include memories of particular moments in time that become associated with the movies, media technologies, and the viewers’ biographical circumstances (Loock 2025, 517).

Moreover, this evocation engages in generational belonging by appealing to different generations (Fleury et al. 2019). In this sense, the Harry Potter reboot is explicitly presented as a product intended to “lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years” (WBD 2025).

Based on the above, it is more likely that audiences will maintain a lifelong relationship with constantly expanding and transforming media products (Loock 2018). As a result:

Popular culture’s increased availability for re-performance and comparison invites deeply autobiographical engagements with commercial material, to the point of structuring individual personalities and their life stories in terms of progressing brand (dis)attachments (Kelleter and Loock 2017, 142–3).

Tredy (2021), for his part, analyzes the audience implications of the series Bates Motel as a prequel to the film Psycho. According to his argument, the series plays with viewer expectation and anticipation, given the audience’s prior knowledge of the story’s development and conclusion as portrayed in the film. Thus, a product like Bates Motel enables the continuity of the familiar and the reinvention of the new in relation to the original text. In short, the author argues that television seriality has allowed Bates Motel to sustain audience anticipation even though its ending is widely known due to Psycho’s iconic status.

The Media Expansion of Harry Potter

The final axis of this literature review concerns the academic exploration of the characteristics and implications of the Harry Potter franchise expansion. First, scholars have emphasized the transmedia nature of Harry Potter’s expansion from literature to other media. Through the extension of the Wizarding World, also known as the Potterverse, across platforms such as the website Pottermore, the Fantastic Beasts film saga, and the stage play epilog Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the literature consistently identifies a transmedia world-building process under the control of J.K. Rowling (Brummitt 2016; Freeman 2019).

From a textual perspective, expanding this fictional universe involves the addition of new timelines or spatial dimensions that broaden the vision offered by the literary saga (Gymnich et al. 2017). Saint-Gelais (2011), in turn, adds that a book like Quidditch Through the Ages fulfills a transfictional role in developing this cosmos. That is, it serves as a complementary work by J.K. Rowling that deepens specific elements of the Harry Potter fictional universe. Thus, Quidditch Through the Ages expands the boundaries of this world not through narrative progression, but rather by providing a believable guide to this fictional sport. Additionally, although it is a narratively secondary product, Hogwarts Legacy has become the most successful video game in the franchise. Set a century before the events depicted in the Harry Potter story, the game visually reimagines the world of Hogwarts while maintaining a clear connection to the franchise’s canon, for instance, by including supporting characters family-related to those in the novels.

Other elements involved in expanding the franchise include physical spaces like the Harry Potter sections in Universal Studios theme parks or the Studio Tour in London and Tokyo. These experiences have been analyzed as intertextual elements based on immersive forms of engagement with the franchise, often functioning as re-enactments of the storyworld (Freeman 2019; Waysdorf and Reijnders 2018). This category could also include official Harry Potter stores in cities like London and New York.

As a final note, Pomerance (2016) discusses the actor-character bond of the cast from the Harry Potter film adaptations. He emphasizes how the main trio—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint—were hired from the beginning with the aim of maintaining a decade-long acting relationship with the characters they grew up alongside.

Re-Adaptation

The Harry Potter franchise attempted to expand through world-building elements like the Fantastic Beasts saga and the establishment of the Wizarding World as its main brand (Brummitt 2016; Freeman 2019; Gymnich et al. 2017). However, the inability to complete that film saga, due to both creative decisions and extratextual controversies, seemingly played a role in the choice to pursue a commercially safer expansion strategy (Hesmondhalgh 2018; Loock 2016; Meehan 1991). Thus, unlike major franchises in recent years, such as Star Wars, the production and upcoming release of the Harry Potter series represents a narrative and commercial expansion model centered on retelling.

Recently, Star Wars has narratively expanded its galactic universe through original productions for Disney+, including spin-offs like Obi-Wan Kenobi, prequels such as Andor, and entirely new plots and characters like in The Mandalorian. Meanwhile, the upcoming Harry Potter series, set to expand the franchise through an original streaming production, has moved away from rumored prequels focused on characters like the founders of Hogwarts or Harry’s parents’ generation. Instead, it follows a model of televisual re-adaptation of the novels, similar to the one described by Proctor (2023). As a result, the extended format and narrative potential of a serialized TV adaptation (Wells-Lassagne 2017) enables a more detailed and in-depth narrative of the Harry Potter story.

In this light, the upcoming series will retell the same story previously adapted into a film saga, but with the opportunity to exploit television’s unique affordances, such as greater depth, narrative extension, and complexity. These qualities are less feasible to achieve in cinema, even through an eight-film series. As a reboot, while the Harry Potter series reimagines the franchise in audiovisual terms, it retains certain affinities with the soft reboot model, and even gestures toward the logics of the remake (Fleury et al. 2019; Loock 2025; Proctor 2023; Scahill 2016), insofar as it follows a retelling strategy. Unlike other reboots that strongly distinguish character versions (Proctor 2023), as seen with the many cinematic iterations of Superman, this reboot does not seek to discard the previous films but rather signals an esthetic and televisual update and enrichment.

Likewise, as Tredy (2021) suggests, the serialized format of this re-adaptation may struggle to deliver narrative surprise across episodes and seasons, given the pre-existing Harry Potter adaptations. For example, even if the series deploys television devices such as cliffhangers for plots reveals, like the identities of Peter Pettigrew or Alastor Moody, or the death of Albus Dumbledore, these moments may lack the same emotional or narrative impact due to the audience’s widespread familiarity with the story.

It is also important to consider how the decision to re-adapt Harry Potter fits within a broader media landscape shaped by multiple factors that shed light on the motivations behind the production of this series. First, the enduring and prominent role of media adaptations must be emphasized (Klein and Palmer 2016; Wells-Lassagne 2017). Examples include the adaptation of the literary world of Game of Thrones for HBO and the more recent adaptations of the video games The Last of Us and Minecraft, the former as a streaming series and the latter as a feature film. This list also includes TV re-adaptations, such as Interview with the Vampire and 12 Monkeys, as well as novel film adaptations of literary classics like Frankenstein and The Odyssey, and the announced Chronicles of Narnia reboot for Netflix.

At the same time, the contemporary media environment is characterized by a marked tendency to play it safe to maximize profitability. These safe bets extend beyond the production of multiplicities. They now include choices like recasting Robert Downey Jr. within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time as the villainous Dr. Doom. Moreover, the media context in which the Harry Potter series is being developed is shaped by the suppression of endings and the trend toward indefinitely prolonged storyworlds (Echauri 2025a; Klein and Palmer 2016; Loock 2025; Rogers 2015). Seemingly self-contained films like Joker or Gladiator, for instance, have recently been extended through sequels, although these follow-ups have mostly received unfavorable critical reception.

Lastly, the production of this series is also framed within a media landscape in which the phenomenon popularly known as the streaming wars has matured, though it continues to undergo constant adjustments. This is reflected both in the ongoing changes to the platform that will host the series, which has once again been rebranded as HBO Max, and in the corporate uncertainty surrounding a potential sale of WBD. As a result, the reboot, categorized as an HBO Original, will be part of a platform’s catalog that seeks to reaffirm its identity amid sustained industry competition through the reliable exploitation of its intellectual property (Cuelenaere 2024), thereby illustrating broader patterns of non-disruptive continuity in streaming (Echauri 2025b).

Intertextuality and Hybridization

Positioning itself as a reboot, the series acknowledges and enriches the legacy of its prior adaptation, while also incorporating distinctive elements to assert itself as a meaningful addition to the franchise. So far, during its production phase, the most notable strategy in this regard has centered on casting. The new cast includes actors with different racial, physical, or national characteristics than the original films cast. For example, the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, a topic that will be addressed further later. In addition, American actor John Lithgow was chosen to portray Albus Dumbledore, marking a departure from the film saga’s all-British casting tradition. At the same time, the series signals a closer canonical alignment regarding the ages of certain adult characters. Several actors, younger than their film counterparts, have been confirmed to portray figures such as Professor Quirrell and the Dursleys. For instance, Paapa Essiedu is around twenty years younger than Alan Rickman was when he first embodied Severus Snape. Additional changes observed thus far include new character designs and costumes, such as Nick Frost’s portrayal of Rubeus Hagrid, as well as leaked designs of key locations like Privet Drive. While these elements inevitably evoke the visual identity of the original films (Loock 2016), they also reimagine Harry Potter with new esthetic variations.

Furthermore, aside from specific aspects such as the CGI in The Philosopher’s Stone, the Harry Potter films do not appear outdated in esthetic or technological terms when measured against contemporary standards. Considering this, it seems plausible to assert that technological renewal is not a primary motivation behind this reboot, contrary to some arguments in the literature regarding reboot motivations (Kelleter and Loock 2017; Loock 2025; Tryon 2013). Nonetheless, as mentioned, the series will introduce an updated esthetic, exemplified by Adriano Goldman’s cinematography, with visual effects in line with present-day industry practices.

Warner Bros. Discovery has emphasized both the faithful nature of this re-adaptation and the films’ continued canonical status, which will now be designated as classics. As stated, “each season will be authentic to the original books” (WBD 2023) and “the original, classic, and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch around the world” (WBD 2025). Based on these statements, it is reasonable to assume that the film and television versions will coexist simultaneously as canonical, each situated within its own diegetic universe. While the films may initially hold a superior hierarchical position within the canon, this order may shift over time depending on the reception and success of the series. Thus, a dialogic interplay emerges among three texts: the novels as the original source, the films as the classic adaptation, and the series as a re-adaptation. This intertextual dialog between literature, film, and television in Harry Potter will continue to unfold within a cultural and media environment shaped not only by the legacy and impact of the novels, but especially by that of the film saga.

On another note, the series aims to attract a new generation of viewers, as has also been pointed out by WBD (2025). However, it is also plausible to consider that it will seek to retain the interest of those who grew up as fans of books and films. The new series intends to keep the franchise relevant and appealing to different generations by offering nostalgia to older audiences and novelty to newcomers (Fleury et al. 2019; Kelleter and Loock 2017; Loock 2016, 2018, 2025; Tredy 2021). Then, the self-recursive nature of the reboot is consolidated in this re-adaptation through the strategic use of nostalgia directed at the same fictional world. This nostalgia, which serves as a catalyst for the reboot, depends on media processes of renewal and regeneration that create engagement and hype by combining familiar elements with new features introduced by the series.

Based on the points discussed so far regarding the implicit intertextuality in this reboot, the article proposes that multiple hybridization processes converge in the television adaptation of Harry Potter. First, media hybridization occurs, blurring the distinctions between literature, film, and television (Fleury et al. 2019). This re-adaptation enacts a narrative regeneration that preserves the essence of its source material, builds upon the cultural and commercial legacy of its cinematic predecessor, and incorporates televisual seriality affordances into the franchise. The result is a text that actively navigates the conventions of three media forms.

Second, the hybridization between originals and derivatives described by Proctor (2014) becomes evident as the hierarchical status of each of the texts that comprise the Harry Potter franchise appears to be in flux, and no single version can claim definitive authority over this narrative universe. Consequently, this contributes to the erosion of the media hierarchies identified by Wells-Lassagne (2017) and Bataille (2021). For instance, while the novels are the franchise’s foundational texts, it is reasonable to consider that, for a significant segment of the public, the films have become the primary reference point.

On another level, a hybridization between genres can be observed in this reboot, which maintains a resemblance to soft and nostalgic reboots (Fleury et al. 2019; Loock 2025), insofar as it does not imply a full rupture with its previous adaptation. Although the series clearly restarts and reimagines (Proctor 2023; Scahill 2016) a prior audiovisual adaptation of the novels, its retelling function and proclaimed fidelity to the books grant it a degree of proximity to the remake as well, thereby contributing to the erosion of categorical distinctions between multiplicities, as Kelleter and Loock (2017) have argued.

Finally, a hybridization between experiences of novelty and nostalgia emerges (Fleury et al. 2019; Loock 2016, 2025; Tredy 2021). While the series will recount a story previously portrayed in two media, it may serve as an entry point for new generations and audiences unfamiliar with the franchise. Meanwhile, existing fans will have the opportunity to extend their lifelong engagement with the franchise (Kelleter and Loock 2017). This televisual experience will also evoke the essence of Harry Potter while offering something new. Confirmed differences include casting choices, a deeper narrative treatment enabled by dedicating each season to a single book, and redesigned visual elements such as the 1990s-inspired esthetic that aligns with the story’s canonical years, a blonde Aunt Petunia portrayed by Bel Powley as described in the books, and the more realistic appearance of the iconic scar of Harry Potter, played by Dominic McLaughlin. Other updates will likely include an original score replacing John Williams’s now-iconic music. Also, it remains to be seen whether the series will depict characters such as Ginny Weasley more accurately than the films did.

Cultural Dimension

On another note, the cultural implications of this reboot series’ production must be examined. At first glance, the Harry Potter saga and its cinematic adaptation do not appear to be entangled in the same degree of cultural conflict as franchises like Disney Princesses. The representation of gender and race in the books and films has not been widely criticized, unlike the portrayal of female characters in the classic versions of Disney Princesses. While certain aspects, such as the lack of racial diversity among the main characters, have been questioned, such critiques have not occupied a central place in academic or popular approaches to Harry Potter.

However, actions have been taken within the franchise to provide a more racially diverse character representation. In this regard, British actress Noma Dumezweni, born in Swaziland, was cast as Hermione Granger in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Her casting sparked controversy and racist backlash, as she differed from the character’s previously established racial identity, as portrayed by Emma Watson in the films. Another example stems directly from the new series. In spring 2025, it was confirmed that British actor Paapa Essiedu, of Ghanaian descent, will play Severus Snape. This casting has also ignited a significant cultural dispute, reflected in digital and media discussions about the “Black Snape,” focusing on the reasons behind race-swapping in this reboot.

Likewise, the series of controversies sparked by J.K. Rowling’s statements and views against transgender people play a central role in the cultural dimension surrounding this re-adaptation. Rowling’s positions, widely regarded as transphobic, have led to significant public criticism and backlash. As the franchise’s creator and figurehead, Rowling’s personal stance may influence the reception of the reboot, as her discourse inevitably filters into the text, stirring cultural, ethical, and political debates. Hence, the franchise becomes embedded in broader social tensions, as was the case with the controversies surrounding Ezra Miller, lead actor of Fantastic Beasts, involving multiple arrests and allegations of inappropriate behavior.

Considering the issues outlined above, it is plausible to argue that the Harry Potter franchise attempts to establish this re-adaptation as a reliable cultural bet that paves the way for commercial success. By retelling a story that is largely free from cultural offenses or misrepresentations, the Harry Potter reboot stands as a safe response within a media environment marked by tension and scrutiny. According to available information, this reboot will enact some cultural updating (Loock 2018, 2025), mainly through its confirmed casting choices. However, it appears unlikely to alter the storyline by introducing plots or characters that might provoke cultural controversy and compromise its economic potential. For example, a verified production leak showing John Lithgow’s Dumbledore in a scene with Nicolas Flamel suggests that the series will explore narrative dimensions only hinted at in books and films, yet without departing from canon. For these reasons, this production does not reach the level of cultural correction described by Benson (2022) in his notion of franchise refurbishment.

Nevertheless, although the strategy relies on re-adapting a story with widespread cultural legitimacy, it cannot escape new complexities, such as the controversy surrounding the racial recasting of Severus Snape. As such, it is important to emphasize that this reboot emerges in a media environment of cultural upheaval, different from the context in which the original films were released. Today’s landscape is shaped by factors such as the expectation of more diverse racial representation in media, and the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, as illustrated by the recalibration of the MCU following the conviction of Jonathan Majors, once slated to be the franchise’s next major villain, for domestic violence.

Similarly, the cultural upheaval shaping the contemporary media landscape is closely tied to the controversies and criticisms surrounding attempts to culturally update classic narratives, most notably exemplified by the critical and commercial failure of Disney’s Snow White remake. In this context, the producing company’s stated emphasis on fidelity to the Harry Potter literary material reinforces its strategy of ensuring success by re-adapting it for television without attempting to update its narrative.