JK Rowling to revisit Harry Potter-verse for new movie series

[JD]

The fact that this is coming from Rowling herself has me really excited. I love the HP Universe, and I'm very curious to see something a new story directly from Rowling that's unconnected to the HP saga set in the universe.
I would be a lot more cautious if it were being done without her involvement.

 

[Snaploud]

I hope Warner Brothers is contractually-obligated not to make any script changes without her approval. Otherwise, it's a bit risky not to publish a book version first.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Terry Pratchett has done 30 or more Discworld novels, spin off books, games, interactive stuff, TV shows, etc. Yet seems to be universally loved. Is that not milking it?

Yes but Terry Pratchett is a much better writer than Rowling.

I guess that depends on your own taste. Besides Harry Potter and most of Terry Pratchett's books are aimed at different audiences.

 

[Reverend]

Although the cynic in me wants to say "Oh dear, already? Did she blow all her money in Vegas or something?"

Given that she's the first British billionaire to lose her billionaire status by charitable giving that's a little too cynical in my opinon.

Cynical and ignorant. I can be very efficient like that.
Seriously though, I think the source of my cynicism may have been that this is a direct to film project, not a new series of books, which to me usually spells "cash-in".

Also, I feel I need to stress that the bit you quotes was only a gut reaction--the rest of the post more was actually much more positive. Not to harp on but I feel I'm being quoted a bit out of context.

Terry Pratchett has done 30 or more Discworld novels, spin off books, games, interactive stuff, TV shows, etc. Yet seems to be universally loved. Is that not milking it?

Apples and oranges. Discworld is a world ("and mirror of worlds") while the Harry Potter books were centred on the "heroes journey" of one character. Since the world itself essentially revolved around him, it's still questionable (though by no means impossible) that it can find a life of it's own. By design, Discworld never had that problem.

Also, I tend to agree the Pratchett's writing ability is objectivity better. However, to be fair he's had *way* more practice and the quality has improved dramatically since the first three or four books. Which brings me to my next point: it's only "milking it" if the overall quality of the IP is compromised.

As a side note, I do recall reading something about Rowling being less than complimentary of her peers, and Pratchett being less than impressed with her. I think it had to do with her having a generally low opinion of fantasy literature in general, but I may be misremembering.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Gotta milk that Potter cow until it lactates blood.

... said someone on a Star Trek message board.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Gotta milk that Potter cow until it lactates blood.

Does the determining factor of whether an artist gets to do more with their own work depend on how much money they have made from it? If she created a universe she loves and wants to explore it further what's the big deal? Yes, she has money now. Does that mean she has to turn of her creativity?

If anything, the fact that she has money suggests she isn't doing this to make money but rather because she enjoys doing it.

I'm optimistic about this project. I think I would monitor RT score and see if its halfway decent (really, anything fresh). If it is, I'll probably go see it. I'm sure she's looking forward to the challenge of writing a screenplay, but I also hope she has some help polishing it if she needs it.

 

[FPAlpha]

Gotta milk that Potter cow until it lactates blood.

Does the determining factor of whether an artist gets to do more with their own work depend on how much money they have made from it? If she created a universe she loves and wants to explore it further what's the big deal? Yes, she has money now. Does that mean she has to turn of her creativity?

If anything, the fact that she has money suggests she isn't doing this to make money but rather because she enjoys doing it.

I'm optimistic about this project. I think I would monitor RT score and see if its halfway decent (really, anything fresh). If it is, I'll probably go see it. I'm sure she's looking forward to the challenge of writing a screenplay, but I also hope she has some help polishing it if she needs it.

Precisely... she has more money than she and anyone in her family including friends can spend in a lifetime so earning more money is just adding numbers to a bank account (though that didn't stop many rich folks going into overdrive to become even richer).

So let's see.. i hugely enjoyed the world she crafted and the books, the movies were hit and miss due to some creative choices you have to make when adapting books but an original screenplay won't be burdened down by book lore.

I'm also positive of it not being a brit-centric story (though i love that in the books and the movies) but that she apparently wants to expand the scope of the Potter universe. I'd really like to see other Wizard cultures because we've seen only glimpses of them in the books and movies.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm curious to see America simply because it was an area that seemed ignored in the Potter books - the focus abroad was far more on continental Europe.

 

[ROBE]

Well Newt Scamander was commissioned to write the book in 1918 the year The Great War aka WWI ended and it was published in 1927 a few years before The Great Depression.
So we can expect a twenty something adventurer tracking down magical creatures around the world.

 

[TheSeeker]

^That is definitely a good premise for a fun movie.

 

[Gaith]

I'm curious to see America simply because it was an area that seemed ignored in the Potter books - the focus abroad was far more on continental Europe.

No need to mince words; pretty much everywhere apart from Europe was conspicuously ignored apart from the barest and rarest of throwaway references. And if there was any handwave as to why other nations didn't step in when Voldy took over, I can't recall it.

 

[tighr]

pretty much everywhere apart from Europe was conspicuously ignored apart from the barest and rarest of throwaway references.

I particularly liked the throwaway references about magic carpets, which are apparently prevalent in the Asian countries wizarding communities, but are banned by the British Ministry of Magic for being Muggle artifacts (as if broomsticks aren't? Or Arthur's car?). Those damn Brits, spoiling all the fun.

Rowling's books did tend to be very Anglo-centric, especially considering that as an American reader, I was immediately curious about how wizarding and wizarding laws worked throughout the world (brief glimpses in Goblet of Fire at the Quidditch World Cup showed us other wizarding cultures). The first book especially made it seem almost as if the Ministry of Magic governed wizards EVERYWHERE in the world, and that all wizards/witches attended Hogwarts, when it wasn't made clear until later that wasn't the case. The number of wizards in London alone doesn't jibe with the number of enrolled students at Hogwarts, so they can't ALL have graduated from there.

 

[ROBE]

Did other nations step in when Hitler took power? Britain and France only declared war when he invaded Poland and the USA only got involved when Hitler declared war on them as a sign of his support for Japan after Pearl Harbour.
As long as Voldermort didn't bother other countries I can't honestly see them getting involved.

 

[JD]

I'd always just assumed Voldemort was just a British issue. I don't remember ever getting the impression that he had followers or any influence outside of England, or at least the UK.

 

[Sindatur]

I'd always just assumed Voldemort was just a British issue. I don't remember ever getting the impression that he had followers or any influence outside of England, or at least the UK.

Karkaroff (The Durmstrang Head Master) was a former Death Eater, they teach the Dark Arts. The Malfoys considered sending Draco there. Durmstrang is in Eastern Europe. Now, he may have been British at the time of Voldemort's First Reign, but, the name suggests he's from the East, and his school would be a breeding ground for Dark Allies.

 

[ROBE]

Voldermort no doubt attracted the occasional foreigner, however both his wars seem to have been limited to the UK. Voldermort probably would have taken over other countries if he had defeated and crushed all resistance in Britain but he died.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Officially, it probably just looks like a domestic squabble anyway. It's a far right party seeming to come to power while, at the same time, there's a serial killer going around. The level of corruption was obviously well-known but kept out of the press since Voldemort controlled the press. From the British perspective, it seemed like they were at war between the forces of good and the dark arts, but I'm not sure the world would have viewed it that way - especially since it seems some magic communities are more sympathetic to the dark arts to begin with.

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

Other countries might have not even mentioned the conflict so that they wouldn't have to acknowledge the existence of evil wizards and magic. The press could just say that England was in some freaky Crucible-esque hysteria.

 

[tighr]

Other countries might have not even mentioned the conflict so that they wouldn't have to acknowledge the existence of evil wizards and magic. The press could just say that England was in some freaky Crucible-esque hysteria.

I thought the Muggle world was largely ignorant of the existence of magic, despite the actions of the Death Eaters. Most of the things they did went unexplained. The "war" was fought between users of magic.

The Muggle Press would have no idea that there was even a conflict going on.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I think he's talking about the Wizard press.