HBO’s Harry Potter TV show is changing – or rather, adding – to Albus Dumbledore’s story, and it should be to the benefit of the remake. Redoing the Harry Potter stories is no easy task. There’s a lot of nostalgia when it comes to both the books and the movies, and in particular, beating the latter as an on-screen adaptation, when the films remain so popular, is a high bar. And it’s not just about outdoing, but what and how it’s doing it. The TV show is, inevitably, making a play to said nostalgia and aiming to capture the movie crowd, while also striving for greater fidelity to the source material.
It has to strike the right balance between those things, while also doing its own thing. There has to be a reason for this to exist alongside the novels and movies – a creative reason, that is – and while greater book accuracy is a part of that, so too is invention. That’s what can be found with Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel: set photos revealed the pair of them together, along with Flamel’s wife, Perenelle, in scenes that don’t exist in the Harry Potter movies, nor even the books.
So far, the changes to the movies have been more in line with the books: bringing back cut characters like Peeves and Professor Binns, and restoring scenes such as the opening with Vernon Dursley at work as the wizarding world celebrates Lord Voldemort’s downfall. The Dumbledore and Flamel scene is something quite different, in that it does not exist on the page, but it does build upon stories and relationships that are present within the text.
The pair clearly have a long, friendly history together, and we know they were in contact regarding the philosopher’s stone during that book’s story, so this is a logical expansion. This could be Dumbledore procuring the stone, or talking with Flamel following its destruction, but either way, it makes sense to include it as a means of fleshing out the world and allowing us to see Dumbledore away from Harry and Hogwarts, which we’re so rarely allowed.
This will be important not only for further developing its characters, but also for helping fill the added screen time. There’s plenty to adapt, of course, but the earlier seasons will have more room to go off-book and add some scenes in. Even the later movies did this, and while it didn’t always work, some – like Harry and Hermione’s dance in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 – gave us wonderful character moments. If it can find room for things like that, then it should be welcome.
This is the kind of expansion that it should be looking for. It’s not done just for the sake of adding something, but it fits with the story and characters, and actually enhances them. The remake needs to feel fresh: it has to have some unique points that make it worth reliving this story in a third medium, rather than just sticking to what the movies did with a few extra book scenes sprinkled in. As a fan, I want to be surprised, to see some things I’d wondered about, or even some I’d never thought of. There’s an opportunity to not only adhere to the source material but also grow beyond it, and the Dumbledore change is a good step in the right direction.
Harry Potter’s remake is currently in production and expected to be released on HBO and HBO Max sometime in 2027.
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