10 Potential Harry Potter Spin-Off Ideas

Recently there has been reported that Warner Brothers and HBO Max are in the early stages of developing a TV series based on the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter is one of Warner Brothers’ most lucrative franchises – there have been seven novels, spin-off books, video games, studio tours, and theme park attractions. And of course, there’s the film franchise. Spanning 10 films (including the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs) which have grossed $9.2 billion worldwide.

Warner Brothers and HBO Max are currently listening to pitches from writers. J.K. Rowling did create an expansive universe with a huge internal history and mythology. It’s a franchise that has the potential to have many spin-offs. So here are some basic ideas for spin-off stories based on the Harry Potter saga.

The Founders of Hogwarts

A spin-off about the Founders of Hogwarts is often a popular suggestion from Harry Potter fans, so it would be amiss for this list to excuse them. The Founders of Hogwarts were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin, four friends who set to create a school for magical children. However, the four friends have different philosophies about how the school should be run and most importantly, who should be admitted to Hogwarts.

The rift would erupt between Gryffindor and Slytherin when Slytherin demanded Hogwarts should only be a school for pure-blood children, and Gryffindor believed that all students who have magical ability can come to Hogwarts. This rift started the rivalry between the Houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin and started the idea of blood purity in the Wizarding World.

These events were touched on in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but a spin-off can go into more detail and show how fact and myth end up merging together.

The Life of Merlin

Merlin was the most famous wizards in the Wizarding World. His name has been given to the highest honour in the British Wizarding World and the term ‘Merlin’s Bread’ was the equivalent to ‘My God.’

A Wizarding World story about Merlin would be set 1000 years in the past and be set in a time where the lines between the Magical and Muggle worlds were blurred. This spin-off could be a traditional Arthurian legend told through Merlin’s eyes as he battles the dark witch Morgana and aids Arthur and his kingdom from the forces of evil. The other way to go would be to show Merlin going on missions to aid Arthur or help the citizens of Camelot, like helping a knight defeat a dragon (i.e. the Wizarding World version of the legend of St. George).

The Goblin Rebellions

Despite Professor Binns being an incredibly boring teacher, he did touch on some important topics. One of them being the Goblin Rebellions. The books never went into details about these events so writers and directors could have a near clean slate to tell the story. The Goblin Rebellions can show how many magical creatures were suppressed by the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding World as a whole. The Rebellions would be desperate acts by a group fighting for their rights. Imagine what a director like Guillermo del Toro can do with these events from the Wizarding World. He could turn it into a dark fairy tale and it would be a great canvas for del Toro’s creature designs.

The Muggle-Wizarding World Split

Throughout the Medieval and Early Modern periods, the Wizarding community suffered from percussion by muggles. It got so bad that in 1692 the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy went into effect and the Wizarding World separated itself from the Muggle World.

A spin-off could look at the lead up to this event, particularly the increasing number of witch trials across Europe and the New World. This was the time where Puritanism was at its peak in England and the US. 1692 was significant because it was the year of the Salem Witch Trials and that could be the event, the final straw for the Wizarding World, and drove them to make this declaration.

This story could combine real historical events with the Wizarding World, like the aforementioned Salem Witch Trials or the English Civil War. These events can also add some moral ambiguity to the world because if Wizards and Witches were forced to go into hiding then villains like Grindelwald and Voldermort could be seen as having a point. They could become Magneto like figures. A story in this time period could show an ideological split within the Wizarding World or a dark faction of wizards and witches roaming free, causing fear amongst the muggles.

The Tragedy of Merope Gaunt

Merope Gaunt has one of the darkest backstories in the Harry Potter franchise. She was from a pure-blood family and a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. But due to generations of inter-breeding the family had fallen into ruin and most developed traits of violence and mental instability. Merope was abused by her family, making her a meek figure and her magical ability was haphazard.

Merope fell for a Muggle, Tom Riddle, and used a love potion to get him to marry her. When the spell broke Tom left Merope who was pregnant with Lord Voldermort. She died after giving birth after suffering a life without love.

A spin-off about Merope could play like a Dickensian story as it shows the suffering one person experienced and show what a life of poverty would be like in the Wizarding World. Even if Merope’s story isn’t considered substantial enough for a spin-off, hopefully it could be a part of a wider story like Voldermort researching his lineage.

The Marauders

The story of the Marauders is often suggested as a potential spin-off by fans. This spin-off would focus on the school days of James Potter and his friends, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They were a group of mischief-makers and rule breakers and they had a deep loyalty to each other. James, Sirius, and Peter learned to become Animagis after they found out Remus was a werewolf. They created the Marauders, a tool that Harry and his friends used in their adventures.

The other aspect of the Marauders spin-off could look at the relationship between James, Lily, and Snape. James bullied Snape during their school days and even though Lily was supportive of Snape she chose James. The spin-off could see Snape take up the mantle of the ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and explore dark magic, whilst also showing his good side. Peter Pettigrew’s deceitful side could also be hinted at.

The First Wizarding War

The First Wizarding War is another spin-off idea fans would like to see a story about. This was the first time Voldermort rose up and tried to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and conquer the British Wizarding World. It was a brutal and deadly conflict that saw many important events in the Wizarding World.

A spin-off could explore some of these events like Peter Pettigrew’s betrayal of James and Lily Potter, Sirius’ attempt to get revenge, and the torture Frank and Alice Longbottom suffered at the hands of the Death Eaters. A spin-off can also have a wider scope: it could show the draconian measures the Ministry of Magic took to try and suppress the Death Eaters, or show the international dimension, like Igor Karkaroff’s role in the war. The First Wizarding War could have the potential to be the Harry Potter version of The Clone Wars or The Mandalorian.

The Aurors

Out of all the ideas on this list, a spin-off about The Aurors would be the best fit for a TV show. The Aurors are basically magical police officers, their job is to investigate magical crimes and stop Dark wizards and witches. A spin-off can work in two ways, the first is it could tell a big story over 8 to 10 episodes about the Aurors stopping a new dark wizard/witch who has emerged – something like the Marvel shows on Netflix. The other way to go would be to have a more episodic series that has an overarching story – something like Doctor Who, the Arrowverse, or Alias.

The Aurors show would pretty much be a police procedural set in the Wizarding World which would be fitting because that genre is popular in the UK. The Aurors could go around the UK and even abroad to stop the forces of evil and work with other departments like the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

The Global Wizarding World

The Harry Potter franchise has been a cultural touchstone of the UK and the films have been a celebration of British landmarks and scenery. However, the Wizarding World does exist beyond the UK and a spin-off has the potential to explore magical cultures all over the world.

The Fantastic Beasts films did set their films in America and France, but there’s potential to go further. The Wizarding World could explore how different countries have different magical cultures and influences. Obvious places to go would be Slavic Nations and Germany because of things like vampires, Baba Yagas, and the Grimm Fairy Tales and it would be interesting to see what Wizarding Culture would be like in places like China, Japan, and India.

North America could be really unique because of all the various cultures in the lands, like Native American, English, Scottish, Irish, Italian, German, Latin American, African, and many others.

A Sequel Series

This idea would be what I call the Legend of Korra scenario. The Legend of Korra was the sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it was set 70 years after the original series. Legend of Korra followed a new set of characters who faced new villains and threats, whilst old characters appeared in cameos and supporting roles.

The Wizarding World could do something similar, focus on a new generation of characters either at Hogwarts or in the adult world. Despite Voldermort being defeated at the end of The Deadly Hallows, evil would still exist in the Wizarding World: they can be people who follow the ideologies of Voldermort and Grindelwald, other wizards and witches could have their own ideologies, others would just be power-mad.

An advantage of the Wizarding World setting is technology advances more slowly because it doesn’t need to. A sequel series could go into the future and only need to show some small changes.

This idea would ignore The Cursed Child whose story has been maligned.