This December, HBO will reboot the Wizarding World with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first chapter in a seven-season adaptation of J.K. Rowling's novels. Meant for a new generation of fans, the project has been met with scepticism and excitement in equal measure.
The movie franchise wrapped up with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, and Warner Bros. later attempted to expand the property with 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The movie was a hit, but its sequels, The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore, fell flat.
With that, the series was abandoned, leaving several dangling plot threads and unanswered questions. As of now, there are no plans to revisit the story, but we very nearly got another spin-off, this time for streaming.
Knight Edge Media (via SFFGazette.com) is reporting that in the early 2020s, Warner Bros. planned to develop a Marauders TV series for HBO Max. Multiple spin-offs were reported to be in the works for streaming in 2021, but this one was set to revolve around four familiar faces: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter.
The site explains, "The series' first season already had a full writers' room assembled and a series bible created. Three full episodes were written, and without notice, CEO David Zaslav pulled the plug in favor of a total reboot. Many of the writers were prepping to begin pre-production and casting when they found out the series was scrapped."
Unfortunately, but perhaps not unsurprisingly given Zaslav's track record, "Many of the writers learned the show was canceled simply from an announcement that a remake was in development in 2023."
While plot details have not been revealed, it's safe to assume Marauders would have followed the four friends during their school days at Hogwarts, including how they created the Marauder's Map and learned to become Animagi. Alternatively, we could have found them in adulthood, learning how they fought back against Lord Voldemort before Pettigrew betrayed the Potters.
Given that the Harry Potter TV series is set to touch on moments and characters only mentioned in Rowling's books, there's a chance some of these ideas will be revisited in HBO's reboot. Time will tell whether we see more of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.
The main cast of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premieres on HBO Max this Christmas. A detailed look at the Boy Wizard's updated scar has also been revealed today. You can see it in the X posts below.