HBO has just sent the internet into meltdown with an exciting update about their Harry Potter reboot, which reveals that a key detail from the movies is being carried over into the franchise’s first small-screen iteration. This detail never appears anywhere in J. K. Rowling’s original book series, so the TV show is effectively rewriting the canon by including it.
While fans are waiting to see which Harry Potter book scenes missing from the movies will be included in the HBO series, it’s an invention of the movies that’s most noticeable in our first glimpse of the show. Official franchise and HBO social media accounts have released a single image of Harry walking away from the camera wearing quidditch apparel.
In this first-look image for the Harry Potter TV show, an important feature of the titular protagonist’s robe immediately draws the eye. Emblazoned on Harry’s back in Gryffindor house colors, alongside his last name, is the number “7”. Quidditch player numbers aren’t mentioned anywhere in the Harry Potter books. Instead, the TV show has taken this feature from the movies.
HBO’s Harry Potter Carries Harry’s Quidditch Number Over From The Movies
The first-look image from HBO’s Harry Potter depicts a quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, something which doesn’t feature at all in the movies. This aspect of the image reveal has already got Potterheads excited, since it implies that quidditch will feature more prominently in the TV series than it did on the big screen.
At the same time, at the center of the image is a costume design taken straight from the Harry Potter movies. The number “7” on the back of Harry’s quidditch robe is a detail we never read about in the books. It first appeared in the 2004 movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the franchise’s third big-screen release.
However, it’s an important costume choice, which hints that those behind the HBO series are well aware of the lore behind certain franchise Easter eggs. The number seven crops up throughout Harry Potter’s story, for reasons that become clear during the penultimate installment of the saga.
Still, in adding player names and numbers to the quidditch robes worn for games at Hogwarts, the TV show is rewriting the version of these events described in the books. There’s no question that J. K. Rowling would have included a detail as significant as Harry’s quidditch number if she intended for it to be part of the franchise canon.
The Deeper Meaning Of Harry Wearing The Quidditch Number 7
It’s understandable that both the movies and the HBO TV series have supplemented the books’ depiction of quidditch with the addition of player numbers to the robes worn during games. This addition draws obvious parallels between the wizarding world’s most famous pastime and the real-life professional sports of muggles.
What’s more, the number 7 is one of the most celebrated in sporting history. It’s most notable for its association with soccer players David Beckham, who was the captain of the England men’s football team when Harry Potter first wore this number in the movies, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Yet, there’s a deeper meaning to Harry wearing the number 7 on his back, which relates directly to the world of the franchise. In Harry Potter lore, seven is the most powerful magical number, a fact discovered by Arithmancer Bridget Wenlock around 800 years before the events of the series.
Author J. K. Rowling adapted her description about the number’s powerful magical properties from the folklore of different countries around the world. Much of its real-world historical significance originates from ancient Babylonian astronomy, which is commonly believed to be the basis for the seven-day week, as well as the importance of the number 7 in the traditions of Abrahamic religions.
It also holds special significance for Harry Potter himself, who famously becomes the seventh of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes by mistake when the curse intended to kill him backfires. Of course, there are seven Harry Potter books, too – one for each of the title character’s years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Despite its break with canon, then, the HBO series may well already be onto something by retaining this detail from many of the quidditch scenes depicted in the movies. Rebooting Harry Potter for the small screen will inevitably mean straying from the books in some respects, and this reference to the number 7 is a welcome one overall.
-
Harry Potter
- Showrunner
-
Francisca Gardiner
-
Dominic McLaughlin
Harry Potter
-
Janet McTeer
Minerva McGonagall
-
-
-
- Created by
-
J.K. Rowling
- First Film
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
-
Harry Potter
- Cast
-
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen
- TV Show(s)
-
Harry Potter
- Movie(s)
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
