Plenty of Harry Potter fans are uninterested in the upcoming TV remake, but there’s an alternative that should make for a spectacular experience instead. HBO’s announcement that it would release a book-faithful TV show based on the Harry Potter books was divisive for a variety of reasons. The controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling is one issue, but the overwhelming sentiment seems to be that there is simply no need for such an adaptation. After all, the Harry Potter movies already told this story.
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and after all this time, the film is still just as beloved as ever. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint will always be remembered as the Golden Trio, and the same can be said for the characters belonging to Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, and all the rest. Sure, the Harry Potter movies had their problems, but replacing them with a shiny new TV show is somewhat uncomfortable.
It’s for precisely this reason that some fans have declared “not my Harry Potter” for the upcoming remake. The hope is that the original beloved films won’t be overshadowed or forgotten. Thankfully, recent developments demonstrate that this will never happen.
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone Is Returning As A Fully Immersive Experience
Warner Bros has announced (via Deadline) that a brand new version of the same Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone we know and love will be arriving in 2026. This is made possible by the company’s partnership with Cosm, which turns movies, sporting events, concerts, and more into a fully immersive experience.
Cosm Shared Reality is essentially a specialized theater that uses large-scale, high-resolution LED domes that fully surround patrons. This eliminates the need for VR headsets while still making viewers feel as if they are part of the action. As far as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone goes, the Cosm experience will place us right in the middle of Harry’s first year at Hogwarts.
Currently, Cosm locations are limited. They are fully established in Los Angeles and Dallas, with plans to add locations in Detroit, Atlanta, and Cleveland in the near future. Hopefully, by the time Sorcerer’s Stone is available for the Shared Reality experience in 2026, the company will have announced further expansions.
There is currently no official release date for Cosm’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
HBO’s Harry Potter Remake Clearly Isn’t Replacing The Original Movies
The fact that the Harry Potter movies are being brought back to the forefront in 2026 is an excellent sign. It shows that Warner Bros has no plans to bury these beloved films as the premiere for its new TV show with HBO approaches. The same is true for the Harry Potter books. Though the new TV remake is meant to be a faithful adaptation, Warner Bros also produced an unabridged audio production of the book series with Audible.
Said and done, we can conclude that the goal here is to expand the way that Harry Potter can be consumed. Fans have every right to choose whether or not they will watch HBO’s TV remake, but they can also rest assured that no one will ever take those well-loved Harry Potter movies away from them.
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Harry Potter
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
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Dominic McLaughlin
Harry Potter
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Janet McTeer
Minerva McGonagall
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- Created by
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J.K. Rowling
- First Film
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
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Harry Potter
- Cast
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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)
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Harry Potter
- Movie(s)
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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.
