Harry Potter and the Small Screen

[Milo]

Crookshanks was introduced in PoA (Hermiones buys her as an early birthday presents) so it must be drawn around 1999.

In terms of Richard O'Brien, mainly because he doesnt seem to have that extensive a CV to play the part of Voldermort and also Im wondering if he can do serious elements while combining the more dark humours elements of Voldermort.Also even with him look Voldemrortish ,I dont know if he'd still comes across like that him makeup,Id rather stick to Alan Rickman. But thats just my opinion and its just one compliant.

On the Vernon front,Id stick with Richard Griffiths but alternatives could be Roger Allam (suggested him for Ludo) or maybe Ricky Gervais (bit young I think)

 

[Stolengood]

Voldemort can't be that humourous, though; otherwise, we couldn't take him seriously at all, and end up with the exact same "awkward-hug-stick-tongue-out Voldie" we got in OTL, which would be terrible.

 

[Milo]

Id admit the Dark Lord cant be a clwon but must famous film or TV villains seem to a humour (usually of which comes from being overdramatic), which Voldermort is,making his deathereaters make a circlcle in GoF and comes to them one by one inspecting them and talking to them and the Voldermort has to get Harry potter to be his blood not anybody elses and the horocruxes had to be valuable objects to him personally.Voldermort seems to put style oversubstance on occasions

 

[Mefisto]

All right, then Polsat it is. And since Poland is a trans-Rhenish country, that means it can supply some Durmstrang students when the time comes, too

Maybe, though I always imagined that wizards from central-european countries would rather go to their own magical schools, lesser and much less known than three largest ones: Hogwarts, Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. I would even imagine their beginning in the half of XIV century, when the universities in Prague, Krakow and Vienna were created. But as they are never mentioned in canon it's up to thread OP

Not only do the Britons and the Americans (and the rest) speak differently from each other, but they also have numerous distinct dialects in and of themselves!

We, Poles, are tought at school the British English with official pronounciation, I believe it's called BBC pronounciation. Then we are exposed to American English because we import huge amounts of hollywood films. So when somebody from UK or Ireland goes to Poland we are not able to understand what they speak. I've seen a hilarious scene in pub when some young boy tried to understand two talking men and he asked in desperation "Do you speak English?". I could only suppose that they came from UK, as they didn't speak like the people in American films do.

The funny thing about Alexander is that, because Farrell spoke with an Irish accent, the decision was made that all other "Greeks" should speak with one as well - which sounds very wrong to the Anglophone ear (traditionally, Greco-Roman rulers are associated with the upper-class English accent, or at least the Anglo-American "Mid-Atlantic accent"). It was one of the great many things that were wrong with that film.

Well he was half Macedonian, half Epirote. He was right to speak with different dialect.

In the UK, the first series would air in mid-2000, sometime between the release of Goblet of Fire and the beginning of the academic year. It would probably not reach the United States until early 2001, though it would arrive in Canada first (almost contemporaneous with the UK airing), and as it would air on the public broadcaster, the CBC, it could be received in many American cities near the border (such as Seattle, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo, among others) at that time.

Setting up a timetable for European countries is a somewhat stickier issue. As is the case for Australasian ones. I'm always willing to take suggestions!

I'll try to do this for Poland. The first two books were printed in 2000 and their reception was rather lookewarm, though the press mentioned that Harry Potter Saga is very popular abroad. The next two were printed in 2001 and then the Pottermania started. So I think that the last quarter of 2001 would be the right time for Polsat execs to look for purchasing rights to the TV series, especially if at that time the second season is in full swing in UK. I would see the start of "Przygody Harry'ego Pottera" in the beginning of 2002.

And because of synergy between films and books I would see the pressure on JK Rowling to be quick with finishing of fifth part. Would she finish writing The order of Phoenix by the end of 2002? The book would be much shorter I think.

By the way, why there are chosen children born in period 1986-1987? They would be 13-14 years old by the time of releasing the series.

 

[Brainbin]

My apologies, everyone, for the slight delay in getting back to your responses!

Crookshanks was introduced in PoA (Hermiones buys her as an early birthday presents) so it must be drawn around 1999.

There's also no sign of Scabbers, which would confirm that the illustration is depicting the PoA era. (Oddly, Hedwig is missing entirely.)

In terms of Richard O'Brien, mainly because he doesnt seem to have that extensive a CV to play the part of Voldermort and also Im wondering if he can do serious elements while combining the more dark humours elements of Voldermort.Also even with him look Voldemrortish ,I dont know if he'd still comes across like that him makeup,Id rather stick to Alan Rickman. But thats just my opinion and its just one compliant.

If I had to choose between them, right now, I probably would have gone with Rickman, but the rest of the "production team" all leaned toward O'Brien. And since the thread seemed to be split about 50-50, I decided not to apply the veto and went ahead with the change. It was a near thing, I assure you.

As for your other suggestion - would you really want to deprive the world of The Office?

On the Vernon front,Id stick with Richard Griffiths but alternatives could be Roger Allam (suggested him for Ludo) or maybe Ricky Gervais (bit young I think)

Allam certainly looks like he could play the part, upon growing a suitable moustache, of course - and on that score, perhaps we may be in luck, because he played Walt Disney of all people (which shows ample range, between that and Shakespeare) in the contemporary film RKO 281. Most of you probably know what "Uncle Walt" looked like, but for those of you who are unaware, he sported a moustache for his entire adult life (long after it went out of style, actually, making him a kindred spirit of Vernon in that sense).

Voldemort can't be that humourous, though; otherwise, we couldn't take him seriously at all, and end up with the exact same "awkward-hug-stick-tongue-out Voldie" we got in OTL, which would be terrible.

True, but apparently that "awkward hug" take was just one out of a great many done for that scene, and the director chose to use it, for whatever reason.

Id admit the Dark Lord cant be a clwon but must famous film or TV villains seem to a humour (usually of which comes from being overdramatic), which Voldermort is,making his deathereaters make a circlcle in GoF and comes to them one by one inspecting them and talking to them and the Voldermort has to get Harry potter to be his blood not anybody elses and the horocruxes had to be valuable objects to him personally.Voldermort seems to put style oversubstance on occasions

All great megalomanical villains put style over substance; that's what makes them so appealing to the reader/viewer

Maybe, though I always imagined that wizards from central-european countries would rather go to their own magical schools, lesser and much less known than three largest ones: Hogwarts, Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. I would even imagine their beginning in the half of XIV century, when the universities in Prague, Krakow and Vienna were created. But as they are never mentioned in canon it's up to thread OP

We were actually discussing this before, in fact. My conclusion was that Durmstrang probably would have been founded as a German-speaking school, dating to the days when the Germanophone population of Europe was very widely dispersed, with large communities as far afield as Courland and Transylvania. This would be consistent with the Purebloods wanting to attend that school (as the English were once Anglo-Saxons, after all) as opposed to Hogwarts (which presumably let in the Danish, Norman, and Celtic wizards, along with the mudbloods). But it looks like Durmstrang is apparently located in the Northern Scandinavian Peninsula, per this source quoting Rowling at a reading.

Considering how far Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang all are from Central Europe, you're very probably onto something.

We, Poles, are tought at school the British English with official pronounciation, I believe it's called BBC pronounciation.

Properly, it's called "Received Pronunciation", but it is colloquially known as "BBC English", yes - for the very same reason that the "default" American accent (Standard Midwestern) is sometimes called the "newscaster accent". I understand that use of the "high dialect" in such situations is pretty common amongst many languages.

Then we are exposed to American English because we import huge amounts of hollywood films. So when somebody from UK or Ireland goes to Poland we are not able to understand what they speak. I've seen a hilarious scene in pub when some young boy tried to understand two talking men and he asked in desperation "Do you speak English?". I could only suppose that they came from UK, as they didn't speak like the people in American films do.

Like I said before, there are so many different dialects in the British Isles that I imagine many of their speakers have trouble understanding each other a lot of the time.

Well he was half Macedonian, half Epirote. He was right to speak with different dialect.

Very funny. But it's all Greek to me Namely, Koine Greek, also known as the Greek dialect, which his conquests made famous.

I'll try to do this for Poland. The first two books were printed in 2000 and their reception was rather lookewarm, though the press mentioned that Harry Potter Saga is very popular abroad. The next two were printed in 2001 and then the Pottermania started. So I think that the last quarter of 2001 would be the right time for Polsat execs to look for purchasing rights to the TV series, especially if at that time the second season is in full swing in UK. I would see the start of "Przygody Harry'ego Pottera" in the beginning of 2002.

Thank you very much for your help! Now, would it be dubbed into Polish, or subtitled? And if they did dub, would they attempt to cast child actors into the appropriate roles?

And because of synergy between films and books I would see the pressure on JK Rowling to be quick with finishing of fifth part. Would she finish writing The order of Phoenix by the end of 2002? The book would be much shorter I think.

We've actually been debating how OotP and even Goblet would be affected by the butterflies, exactly. (We're pretty sure that Azkaban will be released unaltered, despite the POD technically taking place before it.) Fortunately, this isn't too pressing a question just yet, though it will quickly become so. But research is being conducted!

By the way, why there are chosen children born in period 1986-1987? They would be 13-14 years old by the time of releasing the series.

Most of the children cast for the Harry Potter films IOTL were born in the mid-to-late-1980s. Radcliffe was 11 and Watson was 10, sure, but Tom Felton was 13 when he played Draco Malfoy. And since filming takes place in 1999, the children born in 1986 would also be 13 at the oldest (not 14). Gabriel Thomson, our Harry, was born at the end of October, and would actually be 12 years old at the beginning of the first season. That's just one year older than Harry, which is comparatively very good.

---

If we stick with Allam as Vernon (and I'll clear that with my collaborators), we have the entire principal cast ready for the first season/series. And once that's been done, I'll get to work on the introductory post. So if there are any more suggestions for Vernon (and only Vernon, please), then speak now, or forever hold your peace.

 

[Mefisto]

There's also no sign of Scabbers, which would confirm that the illustration is depicting the PoA era. (Oddly, Hedwig is missing entirely.)

Maybe she took a day off. She isn't an elf, she doesn't need to work constantly.

If I had to choose between them, right now, I probably would have gone with Rickman, but the rest of the "production team" all leaned toward O'Brien. And since the thread seemed to be split about 50-50, I decided not to apply the veto and went ahead with the change. It was a near thing, I assure you.

It really feels like an actual casting, with different alternatives competing. And you never know who's going to win as there is always a possibility of last-minute changes.

All great megalomanical villains put style over substance; that's what makes them so appealing to the reader/viewer

They need to. They wouldn't be followed if they were perceived as uninspiring and insignificant.

We were actually discussing this before, in fact. My conclusion was that Durmstrang probably would have been founded as a German-speaking school, dating to the days when the Germanophone population of Europe was very widely dispersed, with large communities as far afield as Courland and Transylvania. This would be consistent with the Purebloods wanting to attend that school (as the English were once Anglo-Saxons, after all) as opposed to Hogwarts (which presumably let in the Danish, Norman, and Celtic wizards, along with the mudbloods). But it looks like Durmstrang is apparently located in the Northern Scandinavian Peninsula, per this source quoting Rowling at a reading.

You can also add hanseatic tradition. This would explain why Durmstrang crew came to Hogwart by ship.

Like I said before, there are so many different dialects in the British Isles that I imagine many of their speakers have trouble understanding each other a lot of the time.

In canon Pansy Parkinson couldn't understand Hagrid speaking when he was conducting a lesson (though maybe she exaggerated).

Very funny. But it's all Greek to me Namely, Koine Greek, also known as the Greek dialect, which his conquests made famous.

I believe Koine Greek was coined as a byproduct of Alexander's conquests and planting colonies in Asia. It would be funny if the producers of film casted not only an Irishman for Alexander (Macedonian-Epirote) but also native speakers from whole Great Britain and maybe even Americans and Australians to illustrate the dialect mosaik in Alexander's army and then in colonies.

Thank you very much for your help! Now, would it be dubbed into Polish, or subtitled? And if they did dub, would they attempt to cast child actors into the appropriate roles?

Subtitles are out. Younger children could have troubles with reading the lines fast enough. I'm haven't been watching TV for few years but back then I remember that family series were usually dubbed or there was a lector who was reading the lines in Polish simultaneously with the actors (AFAIR there was one in Chronicles of Narnia but I'm not sure). As youngster I preferred lector because I could hear original voices of actors and understand what they were talking about. And there is practice in Poland to cast child actors for dubbing children (with some exceptions). OTL Harry Potter films are the best examples.

We've actually been debating how OotP and even Goblet would be affected by the butterflies, exactly. (We're pretty sure that Azkaban will be released unaltered, despite the POD technically taking place before it.) Fortunately, this isn't too pressing a question just yet, though it will quickly become so. But research is being conducted!

The strange thing is that I always felt that Goblet of Fire was too long (not enough substance and only three tournament tasks when you could expect much more) and Order of the Phoenix was right though it was very massive book. Probably it was just better written. The hurry and pressure from a publisher and the filmmakers would probably affect the quality of the fifth book negatively (but maybe the fourth one would be better?).

And since filming takes place in 1999, the children born in 1986 would also be 13 at the oldest (not 14).

OK. I had an impression that filming would be also in 2000.

Gabriel Thomson, our Harry, was born at the end of October, and would actually be 12 years old at the beginning of the first season. That's just one year older than Harry, which is comparatively very good.

Indeed.

 

[Hörnla]

You can also add hanseatic tradition. This would explain why Durmstrang crew came to Hogwart by ship.

That would be fine, but I assume that Rowling's submerged ship simply played on the U-Boot-cliché.


My theory on Durmstrang's development and history is very much in vein with what Brainbin described. [I have a tendency to discard the mention of a Northern-European-setting of Durmstrang as not making much sense in any context except for Durmstrang really drawing its students from Bulgaria to Lappland; with its overall depiction, it would best be set in the Carpathian mountains.]
Also, despite this view not being canon, I regard as the most logical conclusion that more than three magical schools exist, the others being younger in age, so Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts represent a sort of "Ivy League" among them.
Wizardry is apparently hereditary - BUT: despite the emigration out of Europe to other parts of the world, Hogwarts has no US/Canadian students. On the other hand, Hogwarts' students are as multiracial as real-life Britain, so we can safely assume that the wizarding genes are not restricted to Europeans.
Only other possibility is: all other countries "homeschool" magic through relatives (=> Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Bibi Blocksberg).

 

[Awilla the Hun]

Well he was half Macedonian, half Epirote. He was right to speak with different dialect.

I can understand the Macedonians speaking in Irish accents. The Macedonians were still seen by other Greeks as not-quite-Greek-barbarians. Not unlike the Irish. It's like the Spartans being portrayed as Scottish; the stereotype is pretty similar of an angry, warlike people.

 

[redlibertyx]

I rather like this timeline, even if I wish Paul McGann was Lupin (mostly this stems from his performance in Luther where he is a little more rough around the edges than say the '96 Doctor Who movie).

The thing about the three year summer is that 2000-03 were pretty life-changing years for J.K. She got remarried, had a child, and the first two movies came out (obviously butterflied but I imagine both movies took up time in terms of marketing, helping with production, etc). With the TV series moving production up quite a bit that changes at least the last one and I have no idea how she met her husband so that might end up butterflied as well.

 

[Dementor]

That would be fine, but I assume that Rowling's submerged ship simply played on the U-Boot-cliché.


My theory on Durmstrang's development and history is very much in vein with what Brainbin described. [I have a tendency to discard the mention of a Northern-European-setting of Durmstrang as not making much sense in any context except for Durmstrang really drawing its students from Bulgaria to Lappland; with its overall depiction, it would best be set in the Carpathian mountains.]

The problem with this idea is that it's clearly stated that Durmstrang has very short days in Winter, presumably shorter than those in Scotland, meaning that it's either in Scandinavia or Northern Russia

 

[Francisco Cojuanco]

That would be fine, but I assume that Rowling's submerged ship simply played on the U-Boot-cliché.


My theory on Durmstrang's development and history is very much in vein with what Brainbin described. [I have a tendency to discard the mention of a Northern-European-setting of Durmstrang as not making much sense in any context except for Durmstrang really drawing its students from Bulgaria to Lappland; with its overall depiction, it would best be set in the Carpathian mountains.]
Also, despite this view not being canon, I regard as the most logical conclusion that more than three magical schools exist, the others being younger in age, so Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts represent a sort of "Ivy League" among them.
Wizardry is apparently hereditary - BUT: despite the emigration out of Europe to other parts of the world, Hogwarts has no US/Canadian students. On the other hand, Hogwarts' students are as multiracial as real-life Britain, so we can safely assume that the wizarding genes are not restricted to Europeans.
Only other possibility is: all other countries "homeschool" magic through relatives (=> Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Bibi Blocksberg).

The Salem Witches' Institute is mentioned in Goblet of Fire. Not sure if that's an educational institution and if so, what level. I think magical schools would not be confined to Europe, naturally. They just likely were never mentioned due to all the action taking place in Britain (with a brief few scenes in Albania).

 

[Mefisto]

The Salem Witches' Institute is mentioned in Goblet of Fire. Not sure if that's an educational institution and if so, what level. I think magical schools would not be confined to Europe, naturally. They just likely were never mentioned due to all the action taking place in Britain (with a brief few scenes in Albania).

Quotes from Goblet of Fire:
1. Harry and Ron talking at the campsite prior to quidditch final:

More to stop Ron from smirking than anything, Harry
hurriedly pointed out a large group of teenagers whom he had never seen before.
"Who d'you reckon they are?" he said. "They don't go to Hogwarts, do they?"
"'Spect they go to some foreign school," said Ron. "I know there are others. Never met anyone who went to one, though. Bill had a penfriend at a school in Brazil ... this was years and years ago ... and he wanted to go on an exchange trip but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up."
Harry laughed but didn't voice the amazement he felt at hearing about other wizarding schools. He supposed, now that he saw representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite, that he had been stupid never to realize that Hogwarts couldn't be the only one. He glanced at Hermione, who looked utterly unsurprised by the information. No doubt she had run across the news about other wizarding schools in some book or other.

Dumbledore's announcement of Triwizard Competitions:

The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.

So we know for sure that there are other schools in Europe and there is another in Brazil.

 

[Hörnla]

How could I have missed that...

 

[Brainbin]

The Roundup

The casting process for The Adventures of Harry Potter was a long and difficult one - the children who were to be chosen had to be willing to commit to a (very) long-term project, and they had to be exceptionally good actors - the token adult cast, even those with more important roles, would not be able to carry the program all by themselves. That said, the adults were chosen first, largely without the need for auditions, having been selected primarily on the basis on name recognition or typecasting. Two of the actors who had played the Doctor in Doctor Who - Paul McGann, the Eighth Doctor in the telefilm (which was actually a stillborn attempt to relaunch the series proper with American involvement), and Tom Baker, the iconic Fourth Doctor from 1974 to 1981 (who was generally reckoned as the Doctor) - would headline the series. McGann had accepted the role of sinister potions master Severus Snape (after several other actors had turned it down), and Tom Baker had (very reluctantly) accepted the role of the spry old headmaster Albus Dumbledore - he was the first choice of series producer Steven Moffat, a lifelong Doctor Who fan. A native-born Scot of considerable screen renown, Lindsay Duncan, was chosen as the stern deputy headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, speaking with her natural accent in a role (as opposed to the Received Pronunciation which was the mark of most actors from her generation) for the first time in her later career. As the gentle half-giant groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, another Scotsman, Robbie Coltrane, was chosen, though he affected a West Country accent. He was Rowling’s first choice for the role and, like Baker, joined the cast at the behest of younger relatives. Martin Freeman, a young actor with mostly television experience, was chosen as the seemingly twitchy, stuttering Professor Quirrell, a man with a very dark secret, who found himself at odds with Professor Snape. Rounding out the major adult cast were Roger Allam and Juliet Stevenson as Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter’s muggle uncle and aunt, who comprised the primary adult cast for the first few episodes. Comic actor Stephen Fry had double duty as the narrator, and in the minor role of enigmatic wand merchant, Mr Ollivander.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, released in the UK in early July, reached American shores at the beginning of September, 1999, to great fanfare. The Harry Potter phenomenon had officially crossed the Pond. The two-month gap would prove the very last in the series’ publication history; all subsequent books would be released simultaneously throughout the Anglosphere. By the end of September, in hopes of capturing the spotlight that had remained firmly fixed on the Boy Who Lived through the summer (only amplifying with the American attention it was now receiving), the producers of The Adventures of Harry Potter announced that they had their Harry: 12-year-old Gabriel Thomson. (He would turn 13 shortly after filming had begun on the premiere two-part episode, making him exactly two years older than the character he was playing.) Thomson had appeared primarily in telefilms by this point, though he had provided the voice of Pinocchio in a new movie that was to be released in the closing months of 1999. Giving a face to the role of Harry proved irresistible to media outlets on both sides of the Pond, and indeed the young actor soon found that “I’m Just Wild About Harry” had become his leitmotif, wherever he went. Thomson mostly looked the part, though his hair was more dark brown than black, and his eyes were brown, rather than emerald green - this would have to be corrected with coloured contacts, though only in close-ups; the “colour-shifting eyes” would become an enduring production goof forever after.

Rounding out the trio were Alfie Allen as Ron and Jenna-Louise Coleman as Hermione. Allen was strawberry-blond and had a few minor roles in recent years; he, like Thomson, had been born in late 1986 (and the two became fast friends). Though he wasn’t particularly “tall, thin, and gangling”, he was rather odd-looking (though perhaps he would grow out of this), and the illusion of a greater height could be achieved through staging and clever camera angles. Coleman, though she very much looked the part of Hermione, had no prior credits whatsoever; she auditioned for the role on a whim, having no training beyond school plays, and immediately impressed the producers (along with Rowling herself). Like the other members of the Trio, she had been born in 1986; as Coleman was the last to be cast, this proved a major factor in the decision to cast her.

Cast as the mischievous (and identical) Weasley twins, Fred and George, were James and Oliver Phelps, who like Allen were born in 1986. Though the twins were two years Ron’s senior, the extremely small acting pool of identical twins who even remotely resembled the Weasleys essentially put the Phelpses on the top of a very short list. Eddie Redmayne, a veteran child actor, was cast as the stodgy older brother, Percy; he was born in 1982, four years before Allen, just as Percy was four years Ron’s senior. Redmayne’s hair wasn’t exactly red, but he did have actual freckles, giving him a decisive edge in terms of looks. The only Weasley sister, Ginny, was cast very late in production; a local girl named Karen Gillan, discovered by scouts in Inverness, was chosen the day before the Hogwarts Express scenes were to be shot (in London, at Kings Cross station). Like Coleman, Gillan had no television credit, though she was more accomplished on the stage. The dumb luck in casting so talented an actress for what would eventually emerge as one of the most crucial female roles in the Harry Potter series was obviously far beyond the thoughts of anyone back in 1999. Tom Felton, another veteran child actor, played the spoiled brat Draco Malfoy; both Felton and Gillan were born in 1987. Among the other youthful performers were James Buckley as the clumsy but well-meaning Neville Longbottom, and Greg McHugh as the star Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood; the producers did their best to cast only actors under 21 as Hogwarts students.

Late 1999 marked the beginning of filming for the first series (or season) of The Adventures of Harry Potter, which would adapt the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, also known by the name Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States due to meddling by the stateside publisher, Scholastic Books. During most of their spare time, the cast were caught in candid photographs, which were then published in Hello and OK! magazines. The UK press were notoriously relentless in their quest for celebrity gossip. Gabriel Thomson, at the epicentre of the emerging Pottermania, would find himself going from near-total obscurity to household name and poster child in twelve months flat...

---

Just thought I'd give you all an in medias res taste of the kind of production update you might expect as we move forward with getting the actual timeline off the ground. If you'd like me to focus on anything specific, having to do with production or reception, please let me know and I'll do my best to write about it.

(And much like the North American Harry Potter fan fiction writers of yore, I would appreciate any Brit-picking wherever it may be needed.)

 

[Evan]

Sounds nice!

Though, given that Rowling at least knew full well how major a character Ginny would be, would she be even remotely open to casting a total unknown with zero prior experience in that role? Of course, IIRC Ginny has only one minor scene in Book I; perhaps she was thinking that if the filming even continues through to Book II, they could find someone else for that role by then?

 

[e of pi]

Sounds nice!

Though, given that Rowling at least knew full well how major a character Ginny would be, would she be even remotely open to casting a total unknown with zero prior experience in that role? Of course, IIRC Ginny has only one minor scene in Book I; perhaps she was thinking that if the filming even continues through to Book II, they could find someone else for that role by then?

She was IOTL. Bonnie Wright (the OTL Ginny) was a total unknown before her casting IOTL. Here, it's just a different unknown, and they get a little lucky.

 

[Evan]

She was IOTL. Bonnie Wright (the OTL Ginny) was a total unknown before her casting IOTL. Here, it's just a different unknown, and they get a little lucky.

Well, okay then...

 

[Ganesha]

Great start! Really fun to read. Though I know you worked long and hard on these casting choices, when you put them all together I was surprised how many were identical to the OTL movies. I guess that's what happens. Don't take this as actual criticism; I know nothing about TV. I'm just surprised.

Cheers,
Ganesha

 

[Mefisto]

They really need to give abnormally large teeth to Coleman to avoid screams "she's too sexy!" from fans (so her metamorphosis in fourth season would be even more stunning). An I just imagined Dan Radcliffe as overexcited Colin Creevey.
I was also thinking about giving a role to Robert Pattinson as I found out that he was born in 1986 too. But the problem is that he doesn't fit physicaly to any of Harry's Griffindor classmates - unless he would be casted as a schoolboy from the other house. Or maybe Cormac McLaggen?

 

[teg]

Episode #1 The Letters from No-one
Harry Potter and his difficult relationship with the Dursley's, including the Boa Constrictor event. Hogwarts letters start arriving and the Dursley's flee to an isolated island but someone follows them. (Chapters 2-3)

Episode #2 Ten Years Gone...
Hagrid makes his arrival and explains who he is and that Harry is a Wizard. Flashbacks to Hagrid delivering Harry to Privet Drive. They reach the Leaky Cauldron. (Chapter 4 and second half of Chapter 1)

Episode #3 Diagon Alley
Hagrid shows Harry around Diagon Alley, introducing him to the Wizarding World. Harry's last few weeks with the Dursleys and being dropped off at Kings Cross, with no idea how to find the train. (Chapter 5 and first pages of Chapter 6)

Episode #4 The Hogwarts Express
Harry meets the Weasleys and rides on the Hogwarts Express, arriving at Hogsmeade and having his first view of Hogwarts (core of Chapter 6)

Episode #5 Snake or Lion
Crossing the lake to Hogwarts, Harry is Sorted and has his first few magic lessons, giving a showcase of what Wizards can do. (end of Chapter 6, Chapter 7 and first half of Chapter 8).

Episode #6 The Potions Master
Harry's first lesson with Snape, meets Hagrid again and learns of the break in. First flying lesson and a challenge from Draco. (second half of Chapter 8 and most of Chapter 9)

Episode #7 Night Terrors
The expedition to meet Draco for the duel, finding the Cerberus. Halloween. Possibly a flashback to McGonagall's view of Harry's arrival at the Dursleys? Harry and Ron go looking for a missing Hermione and find the Troll. (end of Chapter 9, first half of Chapter 1?, first half of Chapter 10)

Episode #8 Quidditch
The three children fight the troll. Harry has his first Quidditch Match. (end of Chapter 10, Chapter 11)

Episode #9 Your Heart's Desire
Christmas at Hogwarts. Harry receives the Cloak of Invisibility and finds the Mirror of Erisid. Possibly a flashback to Dumbledore's view of Harry's arrival at Dursleys (alternate to Episode 7 or split)? Learn that Snape is referee for next Quidditch Match. (Chapter 12, first half of Chapter 1?, first half of Chapter 13)

Episode #10 Norbert the Dragon
The Quidditch Match. The three help Hagrid with Norbert the dragon (end of Chapter 13, most of Chapter 14).

Episode #11 Blood of the Unicorn
Harry and Hermione smuggle Norbert to the astronomy tower to be picked up but are caught out of bounds. Detention in the Forbidden Forest. (end of Chapter 14, Chapter 15)

Episode #12 The Chamber of the Stone
The three dare the protections around the Philosopher's Stone and Harry manages to reach the Mirror of Eresid. (Chapter 16)

Episode #13 In the Name of the Father
Harry faces Quirrelmort and saves the Stone. End of the School Year with Harry off to stay with the Dursleys for the summer. (Chapter 17)​

Well that looks better. Still somewhat frontloaded but closer to a chapter and a half per episode which is about the necessary ratio. Fitting chapter 1 in is still a bit of an issue.

Anyway, just my 2p. I hope this is helpful. It might give some idea of how the writing of the script might evolve.

Finally got a chance to comment on this thread. Great to see that it is up and running again. Really looking forward to seeing how what is hopefully a better produced adaption of Harry Potter goes.

Just a few thoughts

i) I'm a little worried they are going to run out material during the gap between Books 4 and 5, which is enough time to do at least the first three seasons and possibly even the fourth. Could hit the same problem that Game of Thrones is thundering towards at some point in the not too distant future...

ii) Depending on who gets picked as Luna Lovegood when the time comes, I think we will still see that particular ship gain popularity, although maybe not to the same extent. The problem as I see it is that Luna's interactions with Harry in Book 5 made her seem like a much more interesting character than Ginny. It does make you wonder how interesting Luna could have been if Rowling hadn't put her in as a one-book character who then got promoted.

iii) If its okay, I've put suggestions for potential episode titles using drakensis's episode layout. The titles are in red.

teg