HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Still Hasn’t Revealed Its Answer to the Best Part of the Movies

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is aiming to accomplish that goal by being a more comprehensive adaptation of the original novel, including scenes and characters cut from the movie. Another way the show can stand on its own is through the new musical score composed by Hans Zimmer. The Harry Potter trailer featured some fittingly emotional cues as viewers were reintroduced to Hogwarts, but per the official Harry Potter website, we’ve yet to hear any of Zimmer’s work, meaning HBO is still hiding its answer to arguably the best part of the movies.

John Williams’ Harry Potter Scores Elevated the Films

Image via WB

It’d be an understatement to say that HBO’s Harry Potter cast has a challenge ahead of them as they look to follow the footsteps of the iconic ensemble from the films. So many of those performances are ingrained in fans’ memories as the definitive versions of those characters that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. However, an argument can be made that Zimmer has an even tougher task. He is following the legendary John Williams, who composed the scores for the first three Harry Potter films. Williams earned Oscar nominations for his work on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Williams left the Harry Potter franchise after the third movie, but his themes remained an integral part of the series’ musical identity. “Hedwig’s Theme” essentially became the official Harry Potter theme song, as variations of it played over the opening titles of most of the eight films. Harry Potter was the latest Hollywood blockbuster to become synonymous with Williams’ cues, joining a distinguished list that includes Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, E.T., Jurassic Park, and many more. And much like Williams’ work on those classic films, his Harry Potter scores helped elevate the final product, injecting the films with a magical energy that transported viewers to another universe.

The Harry Potter movies worked well for many reasons, ranging from impeccable casting to top-notch production design, but Williams’ music went a long way in making them feel like special events. It’s borderline impossible to not hum “Hedwig’s Theme” upon seeing the Harry Potter logo, so Zimmer has his hands full with HBO’s show. He needs to come up with a soundtrack that fits the material without being derivative of what came before, giving the series its own identity it can stand on. Fortunately, he has experience with this sort of thing. Zimmer composed the score for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, putting his own stamp on the Superman mythos. The soundtrack for that film is quite memorable, and like Williams’ best works, elevates set pieces to new heights (like Superman’s first flight).

Just because Williams is such a big part of Harry Potter‘s DNA now doesn’t mean Zimmer can’t also become synonymous with the franchise. One only has to look at Ludwig Göransson’s Star Wars compositions as proof. Like Zimmer, the Oscar winning musician faced a tall task when he signed on to make the music for shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and now those themes are as recognizable as Williams’ more classical scores. It’s possible for a popular brand to gain a new musical identity as it goes on; Zimmer may certainly be inspired by Williams as he works on his Harry Potter score (just like modern Star Wars is indebted to Williams), but he’ll be able to put some fresh twists on things to make it exciting.

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