HBO's Harry Potter TV Show Should Bring Back 2 Fantastic Beasts Actors For A Crucial Origin Story

While the movies, both in the original Harry Potter films and the Fantastic Beasts movies moved at pace through the characters' stories, and delivered incredible action, drama, and wonder, a TV show inherently has a lot more space to really explore a story from every direction. Whether that means taking more time to explore a single event, or delving into the history of the characters, the format is more dynamic with possibilities for expansion that far exceed most movie franchises.

Harry Potter Should Bring Back Mads Mikkelsen & Jude Law For Dumbledore's Backstory

The Dumbledore & Grindelwald Actors Would Be Great In Harry Potter

So, when the Harry Potter series gets to the point of discussing the history of Dumbledore and his former flame, Grindelwald, it would be an incredible opportunity to bring back two actors who never got to fully explore this dynamic in the Fantastic Beasts films. Mads Mikkelsen played an ominous and defiant Grindelwald, who was shrouded in an air of mystery and sadness. Meanwhile, Jude Law played the powerful Albus Dumbledore, who found himself torn between his duties and his emotions when his beloved Grindelwald became a notorious criminal.

Both actors excelled in their roles, but with the movies never fully addressing their romantic connection, it remains a missed opportunity. But thankfully, with the Harry Potter stories being set decades later, it still makes sense to feature these actors as younger versions in the series. It would help to provide closure to the Fantastic Beast franchise, and open up the backstory of Dumbledores dating history.

Putting Fantastic Beasts Stars In HBO's Remake Would Help The Franchise's Continuity

The Wizarding World Could Use A Clear Connection In The Upcoming Harry Potter Show

It also means that there is a clear link between the HBO show and the Fantastic Beasts franchise. While the original Harry Potter movies came out between 2001 and 2011, the Fantastic Beasts films stopped much more recently, with the latest film coming out in 2022. This means that it is likely that fans of the movies will also engage with the series. As much as the original cast of the Harry Potter movies could appear in cameos and play very different characters, the Fantastic Beasts actors could actually portray the same characters they worked on for the movies.

It is possible that the Harry Potter TV series will want to follow a bold new direction, and distinguish itself from the rest of the franchise, but it's hard to imagine that a show that has plans to continue for several seasons never acknowledging the projects that came before. Rather than shy away from the past, the show should embrace it, which would not only serve the show's continuity and credibility, but it would also be a tribute to fans of the previous franchises, which helps them to engage with the updated story.

Harry Potter's Remake Can Give Fantastic Beasts' Actors A Proper Send-Off By Including Them

The Story Remains Unfinished After Fantastic Beasts Was Cancelled

And ultimately, the Fantastic Beasts films had their franchise plans upended rather abruptly. With multiple misfortunes surrounding the stars of the movies, there were several recastings and other elements that caused the movies to become less focused. The Fantastic Beasts movies had plans to conclude after five films, meaning that there was still almost half of the story to be explored in the following films. This would have likely delivered on the promised connection between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, but instead, the story was stopped short.

If Mads Mikkelsen and Jude Law were brought back to conclude their narrative in the form of a TV cameo, where they explore the backstory of the integral Albus Dumbledore, that would immediately help to make the character stand out from the earlier movies. But whether the Harry Potter TV show will invite former actors from the Wizarding World back to participate in the show remains to be seen. Harry Potter's HBO TV adaptation still has a lot to prove to stand out in the franchise, but this connection could be part of the way to helping with establishing the connection.