Wizarding World 2024 - Rumors & Discussion

[eldiano]

So these new modular sets don’t fit with the 2018 modular ones? The 2021 are a completely different beast, 

I’m still salty I missed the Grand stair case and Hogwarts classroom sets because those third party prices are ridiculous. LOL LEGO always released them after I bought the Sets I wanted 

[brickbride]

4 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

While I don‘t want the theme to end just yet, they will run out of material to cover at some point

Nah. They can reboot the castle as many times as they want. Diagon Alley, too. Probably even Hogsmeade, though it has fewer iconic locations than either.

And I'm sure there's some creatures or artifacts or things in JK's world we haven't yet had as buildable objects. If not, well, LEGO can just continue adding to their flock of buildable Hedwigs.

The thing is, theoretically infinite themes like Friends and City don't really have that much new stuff either. For every Olivia's Space Academy or Botanical Gardens, we get Heartlake City's third near-identical hair salon or its one millionth pet care facility. I"m less familiar with City, but I get the impression that half its population must be either in prison or evading the police right now. With absurdly short shelf lives for individual sets (sometimes only half a year before a set goes EOL), LEGO can repeat themselves as much as they want.

And if the show can only offer, say, a more diverse cast - that means different-looking minifigures, and that's a big draw in HP especially, much more so than in a non-licensed theme. Most kids will be happy with any figs, and most adults probably customize their Friends mini-dolls (or give them away and replace them with minifigs), but how many of you here would buy any set as long as it contains, say, Rita Skeeter in an exclusive outfit or an updated version of Narcissa Malfoy? 

 

[Seaber]

I don't think we need to worry too much about merchandise for the show replacing that if the movies for sometime yet. 

Compare the upcoming show with Game of Thrones for example - both big book series with plenty of cgi and large casts. Not a perfect comparison but not a bad one! 

On GOT, the show runners and author were ready to work together in 2006, development started 2007, the pilot shot in 2009, the series finished shooting in 2010 and was released in 2011.

HPTV may already be doing some pre-production work, but the showrunner will not be in place for about three months. The idea the show will be ready for release in two years then looks dubious. 

[Accio Lego]

1 hour ago, Seaber said:

HPTV may already be doing some pre-production work, but the showrunner will not be in place for about three months. The idea the show will be ready for release in two years then looks dubious. 

Yeah, I’m skeptical of that timeframe too. All they’ve got right now are a shortlist of writers/showrunners – it’ll be ages before they even have a final script and a full cast. And unless they’re stupid they’ll need their Hogwarts sets to be just as well made and durable as the movie ones, which will take a significant amount of time on its own. Then filming with dozens of child actors (who can only work so long per day) and all the VFX post production… if they get all that done in 2 years it’s not going to be the quality they need it to be to keep going for all seven books. 

[BrickBob Studpants]

I don‘t think has been discussed much yet, but what would your preferences be for the troll? The description we have is rather vague, after all

Personally, I hope they go the bigfig route, but with a new torso/legs piece. So regular bigfig head and arms, but a new piece for the rest

[BacktoBricks]

28 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

I don‘t think has been discussed much yet, but what would your preferences be for the troll? The description we have is rather vague, after all

Personally, I hope they go the bigfig route, but with a new torso/legs piece. So regular bigfig head and arms, but a new piece for the rest

Well the auto translate for me said it is 'a new cast in the bigfig version' which I think could either end up looking terrible or really good. Personally I always think the bigfig villains look like their pose is one of squatting on the toilet, but the troll obviously needs to be large. I loved the original troll and think it looks nice and tall and gangly, but that being said it's not really large enough. So a big fig of sorts with a new torso and legs might work out great like you say. I just hope the face print isn't too comical and the 'clothes' are done in cloth like the original.

[BrickBob Studpants]

3 hours ago, BacktoBricks said:

I just hope the face print isn't too comical and the 'clothes' are done in cloth like the original.

The old one was pretty cool and holds up rather well to this day, apart from the ugly faceprint that is  No matter what they do with the new one, it can’t be worse!

Interesting point about the cloth pieces. They still produce fluffy/furry ones like that from time to time (e.g. the Range Troopers from Solo), but rather infrequently, so it‘s gonna be interesting to see what direction they‘ll take! Also, as far as I know, the old troll was the last doll-like figure like that. My guess is they’ll do a print instead

[Salix]

On 3/12/2024 at 3:46 PM, BrickBob Studpants said:

While I don‘t want the theme to end just yet, they will run out of material to cover at some point  The reboot (if it ever gets sets) won‘t help, as it will be more of the same, just with a slightly different coat of paint. 

Interesting to see HP being in the top 5, as 2023 was one of the weaker years for this theme in my opinion, apart from the Second Task, RoR, BoH, and Gringotts sets  The rest was still good, but not on the level of the 2020 or 2022 offerings.

I mean, if the series turns out to be a hit somehow then that might eventually lead to an expanded universe à la Star Wars with prequels, sequels, and/of spin offs. Which could result in more content to make sets on.

[BrickBob Studpants]

22 minutes ago, Salix said:

I mean, if the series turns out to be a hit somehow then that might eventually lead to an expanded universe à la Star Wars with prequels, sequels, and/of spin offs. Which could result in more content to make sets on.

Yes, because the FB franchise worked out so well  They should consider themselves lucky if they even get to 7 seasons, let alone any spin-offs. As I’ve kept saying for years, streaming isn’t a sustainable model, like AT ALL. It just doesn‘t generate enough money for expensive productions like that to be profitable long-term (or even short-term). With a movie, we can quickly (and publicly!) see whether they get their money back or not.

With streaming, how do you calculate that? Do you only count people that subscribe specifically for a show? What if they immediately cancel again? Or do you count a cut of a the fee of people that pay anyway, whether they watch the show or not? And what about people that only watch the first episode and then drop out? Does their money count?

And then there’s the issue of piracy. Providing all the content online with top-notch quality is such a great idea

And on top of that, the whole thing is led by a megablock who 1) didn’t know FB was part of the WW, and 2) got the release date of DH wrong, by like 3 years  

TLDR: I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a new “cinematic” universe

[brickbride]

3 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

The old one was pretty cool and holds up rather well to this day, apart from the ugly faceprint that is  No matter what they do with the new one, it can’t be worse!

It's a troll. It's supposed to be ugly! I actually think the club is worse, since it looks really clumsy - but again, that's kind of the idea.

Edited March 13 by brickbride

[BrickBob Studpants]

Just now, brickbride said:

It's a troll. It's supposed to be ugly! I actually think the club is worse, since it looks really clumsy - but again, that's kind of the idea.

There‘s „cute“ ugly and „oh-god-my-eyes“ ugly  That old one was nightmarish and didn‘t fit in with anything  Even zombie minifigs look cuter than him!

[brickbride]

Meh, YMMV. I actually like it quite a bit.

Then again, I also prefer the 2001 basilisk to the 2021 one. To each their own is all I'm saying.

2 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

With streaming, how do you calculate that? Do you only count people that subscribe specifically for a show? What if they immediately cancel again? Or do you count a cut of a the fee of people that pay anyway, whether they watch the show or not? And what about people that only watch the first episode and then drop out? Does their money count?

I've just recently read an article about how "The Marvels" did poorly at the box office but was super successful on streaming services. They also listed a top five of movies, I think, so they definitely have ways of counting individual performances.

2 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

They should consider themselves lucky if they even get to 7 seasons, let alone any spin-offs. As I’ve kept saying for years, streaming isn’t a sustainable model, like AT ALL. It just doesn‘t generate enough money for expensive productions like that to be profitable long-term (or even short-term).

"Game of Thrones" probably begs to differ. I'm by no means saying that a HP show is bound to be successful - but the potential surely exists. GoT made it to I think eight seasons? With some child actors in major roles, too (though not as many as HP would require). And they did "House of the Dragon" after and I've heard the "Dunk and Egg" stories are in the works, too, so clearly it wasn't a financial bomb.

2 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

Yes, because the FB franchise worked out so well

I'm actually kind of bummed that LEGO has chosen to ignore FB to the extent it does. Mind you, the movies were by no means great, I never liked Newt or Tina as characters all that much, and I'm not sure we need any new instalments when the conclusion is a foregone one in many cases and there's barely any characters to really hold our interest. I also don't care much for Newt's various beasties. But the settings alone would have given us something different instead of endless reboots of Hogwarts/Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley. I'd love to see LEGO do Jacob's bakery or MACUSA or Nurmengard or even the Hog's Head with a younger Aberforth for a change. Or the German prison with Newt and his brother and the manticore (or whatever that was). Some of those would make good playsets, I think.

EDIT: Or the temple from "Secrets of Dumbledore"! Don't tell me you wouldn't want to see HP/FB go full-on Ninjago. ;-)

 

Edited March 13 by brickbride

[BrickBob Studpants]

7 minutes ago, brickbride said:

I've just recently read an article about how "The Marvels" did poorly at the box office but was super successful on streaming services. They also listed a top five of movies, I think, so they definitely have ways of counting individual performances.

That’s the issue. Box office directly translates into money. Streaming doesn’t. If I watch 5 movies in theatres, they get 5 ticket sales (minus what the cinema keeps). If I watch 5 streaming movies, they still just got my subscription fee and nothing else

10 minutes ago, brickbride said:

"Game of Thrones" probably begs to differ. Mind you, I'm not saying that a HP show is bound to be successful - but the potential exists.

That was a TV show, not a streaming show. Streaming shows with more than 5 seasons are much rarer than 5+ seasons TV shows were. Mostly because streaming shows aren’t granted time to build an audience unlike TV shows and get instakilled if they don’t succeed immediately

13 minutes ago, brickbride said:

Then again, I also prefer the 2001 basilisk to the 2021 one. To each their own is all I'm saying.

That sock puppet monstrosity? Well, to each their own, as you say

[brickbride]

41 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

That sock puppet monstrosity? Well, to each their own, as you say

Be glad you're not the size of a minifigure, or he'd gobble you right up. Which the new one can't do!

Edited March 13 by brickbride

[brickbride]

Brick Clicker's new video gives some more information on the Great Hall and Triwizard Arrival sets. Most of it seems to be taken from the same source as the Polish site's (right down to naming Fudge as a figure in the Triwizard set when previous rumours had named Crouch). The only thing new to me was: The Great Hall's enchanted sky he describes as stickers on the ceiling. I was wondering if they'd come up with a clever way of building that and maybe even allowing you to change it depending on the "weather outside", but apparently not.

Edited March 13 by brickbride

[JeanGreyForever]

It just dawned on me that this is the first Great Hall to actually feature an enchanted ceiling.

[Accio Lego]

5 minutes ago, JeanGreyForever said:

It just dawned on me that this is the first Great Hall to actually feature an enchanted ceiling.

The translation is rather rough – I sincerely hope that we are getting an enchanted ceiling, but “illusion of heaven” could also technically be interpreted as another version of the Mirror of Erised like we got in the 2018 set. Fingers crossed it’s the ceiling though, since this might be the first and only Great Hall we’ve gotten that’s actually big enough to accommodate a roof thick enough to do the tiles on the outside and a faux sky on the inside. 

[BrickBob Studpants]

2 hours ago, brickbride said:

(right down to naming Fudge as a figure in the Triwizard set when previous rumours had named Crouch).

I sincerely hope we’re getting Crouch, Vector, and one of the missing house ghosts rather than Fudge, Sinistra, and Nick again

1 hour ago, JeanGreyForever said:

It just dawned on me that this is the first Great Hall to actually feature an enchanted ceiling.

That sounds pretty amazing, actually!

[JeanGreyForever]

3 hours ago, Accio Lego said:

The translation is rather rough – I sincerely hope that we are getting an enchanted ceiling, but “illusion of heaven” could also technically be interpreted as another version of the Mirror of Erised like we got in the 2018 set. Fingers crossed it’s the ceiling though, since this might be the first and only Great Hall we’ve gotten that’s actually big enough to accommodate a roof thick enough to do the tiles on the outside and a faux sky on the inside. 

Oh, hearing that I'm reducing my expectations. As nice as it would be to see an actual enchanted ceiling, now it sounds like it could just be the Mirror of Erised after all. It was included in the one before the Chamber of Secrets Great Hall anyway so I could see them bringing it back especially since it's themed to the first movie.

[Brickity]

I wouldn’t mind them revisiting the 2000s aesthetics a bit (in the sense of not enclosing every room and leaving wall gaps).

I think that way we could have more pieces redirected towards the things we care more about (or at least me) such as even more rooms with more space. A very very far-fetched thought, I know. 

Edited March 14 by Brickity

[Clone OPatra]

1 hour ago, Brickity said:

I wouldn’t mind them revisiting the 2000s aesthetics a bit (in the sense of not enclosing every room and leaving wall gaps).

They just did that for three years... 

[Brickity]

2 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

They just did that for three years... 

Not on the facades like the retro sets did though, that’s what I meant. They allowed for higher rooms, but I admit they did not look very sightly as display pieces.  

[brickbride]

9 hours ago, Accio Lego said:

The translation is rather rough – I sincerely hope that we are getting an enchanted ceiling, but “illusion of heaven” could also technically be interpreted as another version of the Mirror of Erised like we got in the 2018 set. Fingers crossed it’s the ceiling though, since this might be the first and only Great Hall we’ve gotten that’s actually big enough to accommodate a roof thick enough to do the tiles on the outside and a faux sky on the inside. 

Brick Clicker said it's the ceiling. And stickers.

He may of course be wrong (I suspect he's wrong about Fudge), but the stickers thing sounds a lot like LEGO, doesn't it?

Edited March 14 by brickbride

[BrickBob Studpants]

11 hours ago, Accio Lego said:

[…] “illusion of heaven” could also technically be interpreted as another version of the Mirror of Erised like we got in the 2018 set. 

True, but that‘d be a bit of a roundabout way to describe the Mirror of Erised  I hope it‘s meant to be taken literally so we can finally have the enchanted ceiling represented in LEGO form!

[Salix]

16 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

Yes, because the FB franchise worked out so well  They should consider themselves lucky if they even get to 7 seasons, let alone any spin-offs. 

TLDR: I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a new “cinematic” universe

My statement did consist of a lot of ifs. :P