In any case, Chris Columbus did a wonderful job at directing the first three Harry Potter movies before passing the baton to Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and, ultimately, David Yates. But I can’t stop wondering what a Spielberg interpretation of the Harry Potter World would have been like.
In this article, we’re reimagining the beloved Harry Potter series through the Spielberg lens.
Rethinking The Harry Potter Series in the Spielberg Style
Spielberg is renowned for his cinematic grandeur, emotionally resonant use of color, and technical innovations. Therefore, if you think about it, Spielberg’s directorial style is quite suited for a hard-core fantasy movie series, like the Harry Potter movies.
Here’s how we think Spielberg’s vision of Harry Potter would look:
1. Animation Instead of Live Action
Reportedly, Spielberg wanted to adapt the J.K. Rowling books in animation, probably because he felt that it would minimize the limitations of a live-action film in creating an absolute fantasy such as the wizarding world. However, the head of Warner Bros. at the time, Barry Meyer, wasn’t quite alright with this.
Come to think of it, an animated version of The Harry Potter series definitely sounds interesting. With the phenomenal success of different forms of animations in bringing out fantasies such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and more, it’s not surprising that Spielberg considered animation for Harry Potter.
Agreed that we’d be deprived of witnessing great actors such as Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith portraying quintessential characters such as Professor Snape and McGonagall, or fresh talents like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint portraying the trio, yet I truly believe that Harry Potter in animation would have been remarkable. Why isn’t anyone doing that yet? Especially now that there’s so much AI filmmaking going on everywhere.
2. A Diverse Cast
Spielberg was also open to casting non-British actors in major roles for the Harry Potter movies, such as Robin Williams (who wanted to play Lupin), to attract A-list actors and subsequently a broader target audience. Undeniably, this would have given the film a more international appeal. The idea was ultimately ruled out to retain the strictly British flavor of the books, which was crucial to the studio’s sense of authenticity.
As a filmmaker and movie-goer, I can say that I would have loved to watch an ensemble cast of various ethnicities play pivotal roles in the movie series. To me, it makes the narrative extremely inclusive, enhancing the global appeal. Harry Potter fans are not restricted by nationality. Every 90s kid, from the east of the globe to the west, waited for their Hogwarts letter with bated breath, and when it didn’t arrive, we accepted it with heartbreak and an excuse that the letter was lost in the mail. I feel that casting only British actors in important roles somehow made the wizarding world exclusively “British,” even though the narrative clearly has non-British characters too, such as the Patil twins, Padma and Parvati (I know they’re depicted as British-Indians, still).
3. Compressed Narrative Structure
Spielberg also posed the idea of compressing the Harry Potter books into a single movie, instead of adapting each book into a separate film. To do that, he was exploring possibilities of speeding up the storytelling and altering character arcs. I’m not quite sure why he wanted to do that, considering that he was involved in successful franchises such as Jurassic Park and the Back to the Future trilogy. I guess, because admittedly, he didn’t feel a true connection to the stories as a filmmaker. Therefore, maybe he wanted to wrap it up in the shortest possible way and revamp areas that didn’t align with his vision of adaptation.
I am quite a Potterhead, so to think that there would’ve been just one movie instead of the eight amazing movies that we have now breaks my heart a little. But now that I think of it, I am extremely intrigued about what the compressed version of eight Harry Potter books looks like, and also, what kind of character alterations did Spielberg have in mind.
4. A Bigger Sense of Magical Spectacle
No offense to Columbus’ work, because I love the first three Harry Potter movies, but I think if Harry Potter were ultimately directed by Spielberg, perhaps the narrative would have had a more heightened sense of magical spectacle, tastefully balanced with realism—something that Spielberg excels at.
5. Heightened Emotional Depth
While Columbus’ adaptation focuses on adhering to the novels, to keep the films rooted in the source material, I believe, Spielberg’s Harry Potter would be much more emotionally immersive and intense, drawing heavily on themes of childhood, family, and wonder, placing more emphasis on Harry’s inner life and his upbringing as a foster child in his own maternal aunt’s house. Spielberg would use magic as a metaphor, instead of putting it as the central theme, to explore more complex human issues like the sense of belonging, the need to fit in, and the consequences of being different.
What do you think? Would you like a movie in Spielberg’s vision? Comment down below so that the makers get the hint!
