Despite already creating a wildly successful movie franchise based on the Harry Potter books, Warner Bros. will try to catch lightning in a bottle again. A reboot of the series is in the works at HBO Max, but rather than go the movie route again, the powers that be are opting for a TV show that will tell the story of a different book every season. Casting is already underway, with beloved actor Jonathan Lithgow landing the role of Albus Dumbledore and three relatively unknown children signing on to play the main trio. What’s just as important as the casting, though, are the locations that will serve as the actors’ playgrounds.
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Season 1 of the Harry Potter series will have the difficult task of bringing the Wizarding World to life for the second time. Fortunately, there are a few spots that, if done correctly, can set the reboot up for success as it attempts to adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
1) 4 Privet Drive
Before Harry Potter settles into his room in Hogwarts Castle, 4 Privet Drive is the only home he really knows. It’s not a great place to grow up, with the Dursleys seeing Harry as more of a burden than a member of the family. The TV show will need to portray the titular character’s difficult life at home by making 4 Privet Drive feel like a place he needs to escape.
2) Ollivanders Wand Shop
Harry steps into the Wizarding World because it has the potential to save him from a horrible life. He doesn’t believe in its power until he gets to Ollivanders, where all wizards and witches get their wands. Harry’s initial visit to Ollivanders in the movies is iconic, showing what it’s like for him to experience his magical powers for the first time. That means the show has huge shoes to fill as it attempts to put its own spin on the location.
3) Platform 9¾
It’s hard to screw up Platform 9¾ because it’s now a real location in King’s Cross Station in London. However, the show can’t just copy the movies and not add its own flair. There’s room to give the Hogwarts Express a new design and spruce up the spot it parks at while all the excited kids get ready to leave for the school year.
4) Hogwarts’ Great Hall
When all the students finally arrive at Hogwarts, their first stop is sure to be the Great Hall. After all, it’s hard to avoid it because it’s where the kids eat all of their meals and Slytherin learns they’re losing the House Cup because a member of Gryffindor House picked up a piece of trash off the floor. The Great Hall doesn’t need to be a carbon copy of the one from the movies, especially since the design of the room changes year to year.
5) The Quidditch Pitch
The only official way for the different Hogwarts houses to settle their beef is on the Quidditch Pitch. After showing off his skills with a broom, Harry joins the Gryffindor team in the first movie and plays in a few matches. With the benefit of hindsight, the sports venue in the show can be more than just wooden stands and a generic pitch.
6) The Leaky Cauldron
Hagrid acts as Harry’s tour guide during his first visit to the Wizarding World, and he takes him to a pretty shady location, the Leaky Cauldron. Like the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope, it’s full of scum and villainy, showing Harry that there are bad people out there with nefarious intentions, such as Professor Quirrell. Of course, Harry doesn’t know his teacher is a villain when he meets him, but doing the Leaky Cauldron right will tease the monster behind the man.
7) The Chessboard Chamber
Harry doesn’t leave Hogwarts much after he gets there. However, that doesn’t mean the castle is the safest place, as Harry and his friends find themselves trying to protect the Philosopher’s Stone from evildoers near the end of the year. They stumble upon a giant chessboard, and Ron has to play the game of his life to allow them to pass. There’s not much to giant chess pieces, but the sequence is one of the movie’s most memorable and deserves justice on the small screen.
Do you think the Harry Potter show can get the locations on this list right? What other spots do you believe are important in Season 1? Let us know in the comments below!
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