548: Will There Ever Be Another Harry Potter-Level Book Series?

After the Potter series proved to be successful, there was the Twilight Series. Next came The Hunger Games. And then came Divergent! Each series was marketed as "the NEXT Harry Potter." But, they weren't really as successful as Harry Potter at all! On this special episode of MuggleCast, the hosts dive deep into what makes the tale of a boy wizard so enduring, and how the other series just didn't measure up in terms of financial success OR staying-power. We also compare HP to Star Wars and discuss what the two series have in common. It's another great episode this week, be sure to listen at your leisure!

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• This week's Main Discussion: Why the so-called "Next Harry Potter" hasn't happened yet.
• Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah discuss what made Harry Potter so special. From the story beats to the complexity of the mystery, we dive deep into what we love and what inevitably translated to the publishers' bottom line.
• Strong themes in the HP series? We think we spot a few that hit home! And being rewarded for catching references and foreshadowing really felt like a present to us as readers.
• HP fans were feverish for new Harry! That's just something that cannot be said about some other series.
• The hosts talk Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Andrew and Laura even had a Twilight podcast back in the day!
• Were The Hunger Games and the Divergent series simply too dystopian for readers to love?
• Another example of a franchise that may live forever is Star Wars. What do that and HP have in common from a storytelling perspective?
• Did Star Wars' opening up its canon to multiple creators allow it to flourish, and what lessons can Warner Bros. learn there regarding HP?
• The hosts compare the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and wonder aloud if "the next Harry Potter" will even be a book at all.
• Finally, are older Millennials going to be the ones to spot the next HP, or will the younger generation determine what the next candidate is?
• Quizzitch: In Divergent, the hero Tris is eligible to join 3 factions. Which faction does she join, and for bonus points, what are the 3 she has to choose from?  Submit your answer! 
• This week's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp (Go to BetterHelp.com/mugglecast for 10% off your first month) and HelloFresh (Get up to 16 free meals by going to HelloFresh.com/muggle16 and using code muggle16)

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