Movies

HBO has plan to avoid awkward Stranger Things cast aging issue with Harry Potter show

BBG News

As a devoted Harry Potter fan who grew up alongside the magical world J.K. Rowling created, I must say that the upcoming HBO series has me both excited and slightly apprehensive. The casting conundrum of young actors playing older characters is not uncharted territory; it’s something we’ve seen in shows like Stranger Things, where the cast’s growth spurts have become a source of amusement and occasional awkwardness.

Amongst Harry Potter enthusiasts, there’s a great deal of curiosity surrounding the upcoming HBO series adapted from the beloved franchise. One of the main questions that come up is how the show will handle the noticeable differences between the actors’ ages and appearances compared to their on-screen characters.

This problem is particularly noticeable in series featuring young actors, such as “Stranger Things” on Netflix, which has often been humorously criticized for the difference between the ages of its young cast and the roles they portray. Due to delays between seasons, a significant time gap occurs in real life compared to the show’s timeline. Consequently, the actors are required to play characters who are several years younger than their actual age.

Considering HBO is said to be looking to cast actors between 9 to 11 years old to play the new iterations of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Grange, there is an understandable fear that the new Harry Potter show could face a similar issue that comes with casting young actors. This is something HBO is apparently taking quite seriously and the network is actively working on ways to avoid the awkwardness that comes from the growth spurts of its young cast caused by long breaks between seasons. 

According to Casey Bloys, the current HBO chairman and CEO, there are thoughts circulating within their team about a potential project, and they already have an initial robust plan developed for it.

One suggestion we discussed was filming the first two seasons relatively close together in terms of time, as the transition from age 11 to 13 can be quite significant for children’s lives. While it may be possible to stretch this gap up to 15 or so, we need to take into account our production schedule and shooting plans to ensure that the actors don’t grow too much between seasons. This is an important factor we should keep in mind.

Honestly, shooting the show’s first two seasons back-to-back would indeed be a creative way to avoid the growth spurts that come with working with young actors. And as Bloys pointed out, it would be a lot more manageable to work around the time jump that would then come between seasons 2 and 3 which could help make it jarring for fans watching. 

Given that the network has secured several seasons for the program, it means they can plan ahead more effectively compared to a series like Stranger Things, which had to progress season by season over time. This advanced planning should ideally prevent the show from facing similar challenges as Stranger Things, where actors playing roles significantly younger than their actual age have become an issue.

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2024-11-18 08:32

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