Warner Bros. is planning a full Harry Potter reboot in the form of a TV series on the Max streaming service, so does that mean main actors from the popular movie franchise such as Emma Watson will be recast?
Emma Watson's Hermione Granger is one of the most beloved characters of the entire eight-movie Harry Potter series that ruled the 2000s.
However, Warner Bros. already announced that a reboot of the entire franchise is now in the works and that it will retell the entire story of Harry Potter and his time alongside his friends at Hogwarts.
Is Emma Watson Being Replaced in Harry Potter?
There were rumors that Warner Bros. wanted to reboot the entire Harry Potter franchise in the later months of 2022, but the company made an official announcement that the new TV series was in the works at HBO on April 12.
Each season of the show will be based on its own respective novel from J.K. Rowling's popular book series (Season 1 will follow Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Season 2 will follow Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, etc.).
It was also announced that the series will feature new actors in every role in the upcoming show, meaning that none of the original cast from the movie franchise will return, including Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
Watson's replacement for the upcoming series was even teased to be a person of color, as Warner Bros. is aiming to make the reboot more diverse.
Some reports even claim that Warner Bros. and HBO have already found their replacement actress for Watson's Hermione Granger, but no official announcements on the cast for the upcoming series have been made.
Was Emma Watson Ever Eyed for a Harry Potter Return?
Despite the fact that Emma Watson will be replaced by a new actress in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show reboot, there were plans at one time to have her return to the franchise for a ninth film in the original series.
In late 2022, Warner Bros. was looking at making a theatrical film out of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, an original story adapted as a theater play.
The movie was essentially going to serve as Harry Potter 9, and Warner Bros. even wanted to bring back major actors from the movie franchise such as Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint, but the plans fell through.
Watson was even reportedly approached with the idea of returning for The Cursed Child but apparently declined due to not wanting to work alongside Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling after the author made public transphobic comments.
One such comment came in response to an article using the term "people who menstruate," which led Rowling to mock the gender-inclusive term via an X (formerly known as Twitter) post:
"‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
Since those comments, Watson has also spoken out toward the trans community but in a supporting way instead. For example, she stated via an X thread that they "deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned:"
"Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."
Since Rowling began making public statements regarding the trans community, Watson has not only decided to be more supportive of the community but to also distance herself from Rowling and her views as a whole.
This seemed to play a major factor in her not wanting to return for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
The Max reboot for Harry Potter does not have a release date.
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