I admit it, I am a Harry Potter fan. I attend meetings, but everytime a book comes out, or the next movie gets talked about I fall off the wagon. I am hopeless. If you are not a fan, you wont care about this post.

So imagine my distress when I read this news at SlashFilm:

The actress who plays Hermione Granger in the series thus far has yet to sign the contract for the last two installments. The worst part is, she doesn’t seem eager to do so.

“I don’t know yet,” Watson told Newsweek. “Every film is such a huge production, and it’s a long time.”

The 16-year-old actress says she isn’t even sure she wants to keep acting.

This is troubling news for Potter fans indeed. Like them or hate them, the Potter movies have at least had some consistency and magic because of its actors. (yes I know there were 2 Dumbledores already) People didnt just fall in love with the characters and personalities of the Harry Potter movies, they were consumed by the actors that portrayed them. If Emma Watson was to leave the movie series before it was completed its run, this could really change the feel of the characters.

I am not saying Watson is a fine actress or attempting to say she does this so well that no one could play the part. Quite the opposite. I think Watson would have a hard time moving on to something different (and I think they will all have a difficult time outliving these roles) so for her to consider quitting acting altogether wouldnt be the end of the world for Watson. She is young, and now has a heaping pile of money and a taste for Mexican beer. Im sure she will do fine.

My concern is consistency. It worked for James Bond or Batman because the CHARACTER of Batman or Bond was far bigger than the actor anyways. The actor aspired to embody that persona. In this situation, the Harry Potter fans have grown to love the character of Hermoine BECAUSE of Watson. Imagine if they replaced Harrison Ford as Indiana in the second movie, or as Han Solo. Could you even imagine someone else playing his part? (Im not comparing the acting ability of Harrison Ford to Emma - relax) This is another example of how the character is defined by its actor.

It would be weird to see someone else playing Hermoine in the movies. I dont know how well that would work. Maybe JK Rowling will write it into the next book that Hermoine dies so they just dont have to cast her for book 7.

As the SlashFilm poster says, this could also be a ploy to get more cash for her role, so who knows. Also note that IMDB has her listed as “attached” for the sixth film and that Rupert Gint (Ron Weasley) has yet to be reported as signed.