The original post: /r/television by /u/WanderingArtist2 on 2025-02-28 22:32:11.
HBO are apparently saying that Season 1 of the Harry Potter series will be eight hours.
For those not familiar with the books, Book One The Philosopher’s Stone is 17 chapters and 223 pages. It’s a relatively short and simple children’s book that was adapted into a two and a half hour film with only a few things cut or trimmed down.
Even if it kept absolutely everything from the book, an eight hour series would have to add a huge amount of new scenes, presenting the problem that all but the first chapter is told from Harry’s POV with the twist being reliant on him seeing things without context and making incorrect assumptions. So the show couldn’t expand those scenes without spoiling the ending.
Since Book Two The Chamber Of Secrets is around the same length, it feels like it would make more sense to make Seasons 1 & 2 four episodes apiece and get a head start on the rest of the series, which gets longer and more complex as it goes on.
Particularly considering the decision to cast 79 year old John Lithgow as Dumbledore.