The anticipation grows month by month. First with the official announcement, then with the first images, and then again with the trailer for the new adaptation based on the beloved Harry Potter saga,
Born from the pen of the Scottish author J.K. Rowling, capable of uniting several generations and captivating very diverse audiences, helped by the momentum of the beloved films, the book series about the boy wizard represents a publishing milestone that has written the history of publishing. We’re talking about long-sellers that are still read around the world today, Italy included, where they are published by Salani.
With the arrival of the HBO and HBO Max TV series adapted from the saga, set to air in December, the global Harry Potter phenomenon will receive a fresh push (after all, as The Hollywood Reporter wrote, the trailer was the most-watched in history in its first two days of release…).
The TV series arriving in December, helmed by Francesca Gardiner
Scheduled for Christmas Day, the new series will debut on the American platform and will be available simultaneously in all countries, Italy included. The adaptation, moreover, will not follow an annual cadence. As Casey Bloys, one of the network’s lead faces, explained, the numerous visual effects and the high budget make it difficult to maintain a regular pace. However, he stated that season two is already in development: “Our goal is not to have long gaps, you know, especially because children grow up…”.
The new project, signed by Francesca Gardiner, is born with the aim of delving into the Hogwarts saga, including elements that were left out of the films for obvious reasons. The promise, therefore, is to remain faithful to the novels.
Fans of Harry Potter’s adventures will relive heroic deeds and lessons in herbology, and they will once again root for the teams during the Quidditch matches. There will also be spells, wands and flying broomsticks, among wondrous creatures, trolls and Death Eaters.
The cast of the series
To take the place of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson—the original cast for Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione—will be respectively Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton.
Joining them are the iconic teachers: John Lithgow (who has won multiple awards for his roles in the TV series Dexter and The Crown) will portray headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer will play Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu will portray Severus Snape; Nick Frost will don the robes of gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid.
The arrogant Draco Malfoy will be played by Lox Pratt, while the awkward (and who proves to be extraordinarily brave) Neville Longbottom will be portrayed by Rory Wilmot.
The showrunner is, as noted, Francesca Gardiner (already known for Succession), while among the directors we find Mark Mylod (Once Upon a Time, Game of Thrones).
The bestselling books of the Harry Potter saga
But let us take a step back and go to May 1998, when, a year after the original edition, the first book of the saga was released in Italy (with Salani), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Rowling recounts Harry, the protagonist, entering the world of magic. Raised with the muggles’ relatives since he is an orphan of parents, he discovers that he has been admitted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here he realizes he is a wizard and meets Ron and Hermione, who will become not only his best friends but constant presences throughout all his adventures (and, above all, mishaps). Between lessons in magic, potions, trolls and magical mirrors, Harry will understand he has a very important task: to defeat the most powerful wizard of all time, the one responsible for the deaths of his parents, Lord Voldemort.
Al primo libro seguono altri six (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). A questi, nel 2016 è stato aggiunto un ottavo, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, otto anni dopo quanto si credeva fosse l’ultimo romanzo.
Non resta dunque che scoprire come reagiranno gli storici fan di Harry Potter al nuovo adattamento, mentre una nuova generazione di spettatori si appresta a entrare nel mondo di Hogwarts per la prima volta.
Si può dire che la saga di Harry Potter sia un vero fenomeno che va oltre i libri e il cinema: il successo si espande anche al merchandising a tema, con poster, giochi da tavolo, calze, calamite, cuscini; e ancora a videogiochi (pensiamo a Hogwarts Legacy, un action RPG open-world ambientato nel XIX secolo, attraverso il quale i giocatori incontrano personaggi e luoghi differenti da quelli narrati nei romanzi), musical, parchi a tema (come The Wizarding World of Harry Potter a Orlando o The Harry Potter London Tour a Londra) e molto altro.
Dalla saga sono nati inoltre spin-off che approfondiscono personaggi e storie inesplorate, come Le Fiabe di Beda il Bardo, Il Quidditch attraverso i secoli e la serie cinematografica Animali fantastici.
A proposito, qui potete trovare la nostra raccolta di quiz e test per mettere alla prova le vostre conoscenze sulla saga e scoprire quale versione maghi/a sareste. Esempi? Quanto conosci la saga di Harry Potter?; quale bacchetta di Harry Potter è più adatta a te?; A quale Casa di Hogwarts appartieni?
