TV show reboot

[sunnyskywalker]

They haven't even finished with the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and already the books are getting a reboot, this time as a TV series. It will supposedly be "authentic to the original books." Whatever that means. JKR will be an executive producer, so maybe "authentic to what she intended to write or imagines she wrote."

I can't help but be morbidly curious. Will the Dursleys be blond? Will the reboot stick all the adults in robes instead of vaguely bohemian but mostly normal clothes? Will the Marauders generation look their ages instead of 20-30 years older? Will we get Dudley hiding in fear behind Vernon instead of eating cake, the full story of the prank, SPEW, the full set of Pensieve memories, Marietta's scarring, and Harry gleefully hexing Filch twice while his schoolmates look on and laugh? Will we get full-on flashbacks for some of the historical scenes? Will authenticity mean putting in the bits JKR totally meant to write but didn't, like the Slytherins triumphantly returning to fight? Will we get bonus material from the "ghost plots" that didn't make it into the books, like the backstory about Dean's father?

And, of course, will Harry have his mother's eyes for real this time? Since apparently that was important enough to yap about for seven whole books/eight movies...

Comments

Cases when the movie saves face for the books

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

Inspired by your “Would Dudley hide behind Vernon instead of eat cake” remark.

Example 1:

Hagrid merely threatening Vernon with words “Don’t ever insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me” and then hexing Dudley for stealing Harry’s birthday cake, instead of threatening and then immediately punishing Vernon’s insult by hexing his son.

Example 2:

Giving Hagrid’s “nOt a SinGlE sOrcErEr whO weNt baD caMe oUt oF anYwHere bUt Slytherin” line to Ron instead. Yes Ron is a pureblood child, but he is also very young and sheltered in his own way. It is way, WAY more believable that he never heard of the nitty gritty Sirius Black scandal, than to believe Rubeus “I totally know Sirius Black is a traitor for years, I onky regret never ripping him limb from limb” Hagrid really forgot it when trying to feed Harry the Rah Rah Gryffindor bs agenda.

Example 3:

Movie Dumbledore telling Harry very early on that Slughorn has something to give that Harry has to obtain by cozying up to him, and Harry agreeing to try early on. Instead of only giving the assignment oh-so-dramatically so many months into the Last Year Of APWBD’s Life to Harry, after Harry soent months avoiding Sluggy.

Any other examples come to mind? :)

Re: Cases when the movie saves face for the books

[sunnyskywalker]

Completely omitting Harry trying all the "fun" hexes, as mentioned.

Having Harry accidentally break into Snape's mind during the Occlumency lessons to catch that oh-so-brief glimpse of the Marauders being the thing that prompts Snape to throw him out, rather than getting almost praised for breaking into his mind and seeing Baby Sev crying and getting thrown out for deliberately prying into the Pensieve.

Cutting the whole Montague-in-the-cabinet incident, which led to Montague in the Hospital Wing so weak he had to be fed like a baby bird. Actually seeing that would make the Twins look awfully brutal (maybe even if they also played up Montague's role in the Inquisitorial Squad), and the Trio wouldn't look great for keeping quiet either.

Oh, and they cut the Ton-Tongue Toffee incident too. Maybe for time, because I'm sure the movies could have played up the absurdity and made Dudley look more culpable if they wanted, but it also might, well, look like they nearly choke a kid to death when that kid can't defend himself.

Come to think of it, didn't they also cut the fireworks in the cauldron scene in CoS? So we don't see the Slytherin kids get injured.

Let's see, we also have Dumbledore picking Harry up for the summer while Harry's flirting with a waitress rather than bonking the Dursleys on the head with glasses of booze and telling them it's bad manners not to drink it.

I'd have to watch the movies again to refresh my memory, but I suspect this would be a very long list.