After this performance in one of Netflix’s hit shows, I am so sad we did not get more of one Harry Potter backstory in the original movies. The Wizarding World films have had quite the history as the movies both successfully and unsuccessfully detail the story of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and the larger world of witchcraft and wizardry surrounding his battles with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). These films will always have a special place in my own heart and in the hearts of fans, even if some aspects of those films could and should have been expanded on.
While there may be many an initial problem with the Harry Potter TV show, there is no denying the opportunity it presents to showcase parts of Hogwarts that the films did not touch on. Some book details were sprinkled into the films, but I think several of them were worth exploring more, as the detail itself was intriguing or the direction the cast and crew took it looked so. One specific example of this in the Harry Potter films is a performance that I think was so powerful despite its minimal runtime: Jamie Campbell Bower’s performance as Gellert Grindelwald.
I Wish We Got More Of Jamie Campbell Bower As Grindelwald In The Harry Potter Movies
Bower’s Role Was Limited To Two Harry Potter Films
I wish we got more of the performance by Jamie Campbell Bower as Grindelwald as his brief glimpses added intensity to every Harry Potter movie he was in. Bower was one of many actors who played Grindelwald in Harry Potter, though his time as the terrifying Dark Wizard was the shortest of the group. Bower’s Grindelwald only appeared in flashbacks and pictures in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, with Bower never uttering a word in any of his scenes.
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Even so, his brief appearances, to me, added a sense of intensity in every scene, easily conveying the complex and dark mindset of the character throughout the films. With no words, he was able to showcase how deep his bond with Dumbledore ran, creating further tension when the two met as adults. That being said, I wish the Harry Potter films gave Bower more to work with, especially as another project showed just what he was capable of when he was allowed to fully embrace a villainous character’s nuances.
Stranger Things Proves How Much Potential The Harry Potter Villain Had
Bower Could Have Amplified Grindelwald’s Menace Like He Did With Vecna
Bower’s time as Vecna in Stranger Things highlights the potential Grindelwald could have had in the Harry Potter films, especially since both characters were very similar. Vecna and Grindelwald were both gifted people who, due to circumstances, were shunned and adopted an extreme mindset due to that isolation. Both found a friend who they thought could be their partner but ended up being the only one who could stand up to them, forcing them to transform into something even more monstrous either physically or symbolically.
Bower was cast as Venca on November 20th, 2020.
These comparisons could have really shined had Bower been given more during his time as Grindelwald. Vecna’s twisted mindset and his insistence on how that mindset was correct despite how deeply it had destroyed him made him chilling to watch, with his slow, relentless chase of the protagonists adding to his menace. Grindelwald could have had that same chill had Bower been given the chance, though to me that chance might come in the Harry Potter show if they decide to flesh out his story.
Harry Potter’s TV Remake Must Spend More Time On Dumbledore & Grindelwald
Focusing On Their Story Could Add To Later Narratives
By focusing on Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s story, the Harry Potter TV remake could give us the intensity missing from the original narrative, allowing for any future spinoffs to build on top of that nuance. If the show dives deeper into Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s friendship during their student years, it would need to have that intensity Bower displayed alongside rich dialogue. Through those, I think their story can become even more fascinating to new and old fans of the franchise, as that narrative can be taken in fun directions if we see more of Grindelwald and his dissent before Dumbledore’s eyes.
Grindelwald, then, can be the menacing, major villain that is hinted at so often in other material as the groundwork was laid early, allowing any future Harry Potter project to showcase why Grindelwald was just as feared as the Dark Lord himself.
Not only that, but if the show becomes popular enough, then a future spinoff could be given the complexity that, to me, was missing from the Fantastic Beast films. Grindelwald’s years of terror can be elaborated on further in a potential spinoff as the initial show will focus on the original story surrounding Harry, which took place afterward. Grindelwald, then, can be the menacing, major villain that is hinted at so often in other material as the groundwork was laid early, allowing any future Harry Potter project to showcase why Grindelwald was just as feared as the Dark Lord himself.
Harry Potter
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.
- 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 - Character(s)
-
Harry Potter
, Hermione Granger
, Ron Weasley
, Dumbledore
, Minerva McGonagall
, Rubeus Hagrid
, Dobby the House Elf
, Draco Malfoy
, Sirius Black
, Ginny Weasley
, Voldemort