Harry Potter series: HBO confirms one major difference from the films

HBO has now officially confirmed what many fans had long suspected: the series will not try to update the wizarding world to a modern setting, but will instead follow the books’ timeline even more closely. The story begins in 1991 – and that is something viewers are meant to notice. This marks a significant difference from the Warner Bros. films, which are also technically set in the 1990s, but never really make that particularly visible. The 90s approach was officially confirmed in the making-of documentary Finding Harry – The Art Behind the Magic, which HBO released on April 5.

According to the internal chronology of the series, Harry Potter was born in 1980 and arrived at Hogwarts at the age of eleven – meaning in 1991. While the films technically follow the same timeline, their clothing and overall atmosphere often feel much more like the 2000s. If HBO’s series were to take a similar approach, the world could end up feeling too modern and many elements of the original story would lose some of their plausibility. This decision is likely to matter especially for the Muggle world, which could become more important in the series adaptation.

In the case of Harry Potter, a story without ubiquitous smartphones and social media will likely feel not only more nostalgic to many viewers, but also simply more fitting. Many situations that work naturally in the original story would immediately raise new questions in a modern-day setting – for example, in the second film, when Harry, Ron and Hermione travel in Mr. Weasley’s flying car. In the 1990s, the worst-case scenario would simply have been that someone saw them. Today, you would immediately have to ask why photos of the flying car were not all over YouTube, TikTok and similar platforms.

Fans on Reddit also seem to be largely in agreement: without smartphones and social media, the secret wizarding world feels much more believable. Many also think the 1990s are a better fit for the books’ more analog and mysterious atmosphere. There are still a few voices in favor of a modernized version of the series, but overall HBO seems to be on the right track with its 90s approach. That said, the series will still need to overcome other hurdles if it wants to fully win fans over.