The Adult Characters Of Harry Potter Will Be So Much More Important In HBO's TV Remake

Summary In HBO's Harry Potter remake, adult characters will take on a more significant role compared to the original movies given the change in target audience.

The TV adaptation must delve deeper into the backstories of characters like Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and the Black sisters.

The casting of experienced actors for the adult roles will be crucial in maintaining the quality of the series and balancing younger and older characters.

The adult characters took a back seat to the students in the original Harry Potter movies, but in HBO's remake, they will be far more important to feature. The beloved franchise is full of great characters, most of which are split into two grounds—the kids and the adults. Since our protagonist was a child, and the Harry Potter series as a whole was aimed toward young audiences, Warner Bros movies prioritized the stories of the young characters over the older ones. However, a lot has changed over the last 20 years, and HBO's TV remake will need to adjust.

Though the Harry Potter books were also focused predominantly on the younger characters, there was more context offered for the adults' stories. We learned far more about Harry's parents' age group—sometimes called the Marauders' generation—than was ever revealed in the movies, which didn't have time to dive into the details. Characters like Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Arthur and Molly Wesley, and even those like the three Black sisters, were woefully neglected. But these are the stories fans will want in the next Harry Potter adaptation.

Related HBO's Harry Potter TV Show: Updates & Everything We Know Harry Potter is being remade as a television show for HBO Max and every detail about the next adaptation featuring the Boy Wizard can be found here.

The Original Fans Of Harry Potter Are All Grown Up Now (& Connect More To Adult Characters)

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Will Have A Different Target Audience Than The Movies

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Though plenty of adults enjoyed the Harry Potter books and movies when they were released, the target audience was kids and teens. So, Warner Bros' films had to focus on the characters that its primary audience would connect to. Now, however, these original fans are all about 20 years older, and though younger generations have found and fallen in love with Harry Potter, HBO's remake will have a different target audience than the movies did. For this reason, the adult characters will be far more important in this upcoming adaptation than they ever were before.

When rereading the books as adults, it's easier to pick up on just how important these characters were to the foundation of Harry's story.

Diving deeper into the adult characters of Harry Potter will be the perfect way to age the series up a bit, and since HBO is aiming for a book-faithful adaptation, this won't be difficult to do. When rereading the books as adults, it's easier to pick up on just how important these characters were to the foundation of Harry's story. This makes it all the more frustrating that the Harry Potter movies missed out on these nuances, and all the more imperative that the TV remake give these characters the attention they deserve.

The More Mature Themes Of Harry Potter Are Reflected In Its Adult Characters

The Harry Potter Movies Simplified The Story By Minimizing The Adult Characters' Roles

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Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all their friends are excellent characters, but it's the adults of Harry Potter who really drive home the overarching themes of Harry's story. The repeated themes of motherly love that serve as the foundation of Harry Potter begin with Lily Potter and continue through to other adult characters like Molly Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, and even Merope Gaunt, Voldemort's mother. The repeated themes of moral ambiguity are reflected in James Potter and similar adult characters like Severus Snape, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore.

Though Harry is the central protagonist, the adult characters and their stories set the stage for his "Chosen One" arc since he was only special because of the previous generation's actions. Their stories serve as the backbone to Harry's, and without their complexity, it's easier to mistake the series as being for children (as actor Miriam Margolyes has). However, by including the adult characters and their full stories in the TV remake, HBO can appeal to older audiences, whether they were initially Harry Potter fans or not.

The Harry Potter TV Remake Can Answer Valuable Questions About Adult Characters

Questions About The Marauders, The Black Sisters, Ariana Dumbledore, & More Are Still Unanswered

Harry Potter is from Harry's point of view, so in the beginning, he didn't know much about the adults in his life. However, as he grew, subtle details were revealed about their pasts, and Harry and the readers slowly began to put together a more complete story regarding their character. Still, since events like Lily and James' time at school happened before the start of Harry's story, there are limited details about what this time had been like. We can only imagine the finer details of Lily and Snape's friendship and can only guess whether Aunt Petunia ever missed her sister.

HBO's Harry Potter remake is expected to begin streaming in 2026.

Not knowing the answers to some of these mysteries adds to the experience, but there are some aspects of the adult characters' pasts that could be an asset to the Harry Potter remake. For example, the Harry Potter books subtly reveal that Molly Weasley's two brothers were killed during the First Wizarding War as part of the Order of the Phoenix, and she later gives her brother's gold watch to Harry as a gift. Then there's Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda Black, whose family dynamic has always been fascinating but under-explored. Regulus Black, Ariana Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy—they could all benefit from further exploration.

The Casting Of Adult Characters Will Again Carry The Harry Potter Franchise

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Will Need Experienced Actors To Lead The Way (Like The Movies Did)

Beyond the story, there are some technical reasons why the adult characters of Harry Potter must get special attention in the TV remake series. Since the new young actors will likely be unknown, it will be up to the adult cast to hold the show together until they get settled in. This was precisely the case with the Harry Potter movies, which cast legendary actors for the adult roles to compensate for the young talent. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Miriam Margolyes, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, and all the rest were needed to bring quality until the ball got rolling.

While choosing the new Golden Trio will be no easy task, choosing the right cast to play the adult characters is just as important.

Given Harry Potter's popularity these days, HBO could probably get away with lesser-known actors taking the adult roles. The most important thing is talent. Whoever is cast to play the adult characters of Harry Potter must be exceptional actors who can truly do the job justice. So, while choosing the new Golden Trio will be no easy task, choosing the right cast to play the adult characters is just as important.

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Will Still Have To Ballance Younger & Older Characters

Focusing Too Much On Adult Characters Would Be Repeating Fantastic Beasts' Mistakes

Of course, just because the adult characters need more attention in the Harry Potter remake doesn't mean the younger ones should be neglected. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still the main characters, and there wouldn't be a story without them. Their perspective is important since being students at a magic school and laden with responsibility is part of the appeal of Harry Potter. If the remake suddenly shifts to being all about the adults, it risks repeating the mistakes of the Fantastic Beasts movies.

Though Fantastic Beasts was supposed to be an answer to the mysteries of Dumbledore's past, the movie lost some of the magic of the original series. The films were targeted at an older audience, but child-like imagination was key to Harry Potter's success, and Fantastic Beasts missed out on this. HBO's Harry Potter remake will have to find the perfect balance. It must work with older audiences while still appealing to children—especially the original fans' inner children.