Harry Potter Dir. Chris Columbus on HBO Series: "I Think It's Great"
· BCPosted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: harry potter, jk rowling
Harry Potter Dir. Chris Columbus on HBO Series: "I Think It's Great"
"Harry Potter" film director Chris Columbus believes an HBO series adaptation is a "great" idea and can cover much more than the films could.
Published Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:37:08 -0600
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary
- Chris Columbus calls HBO's Harry Potter series a "great" idea for exploring untapped book moments.
- New series allows for deeper dives into Hogwarts and characters, including Peeves and Hogwarts staff.
- Thousands auditioned for iconic roles; actors to match canon character ages, including a younger Snape.
- A decade-long series promises epic detail and faithfulness to original books, and looks to reach new global fans.
As the calendar inches closer to the start of filming this summer, there will not be a lack of folks who have a thought or two to share about Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO and Warner Bros. Television's upcoming multi-season series adaptation of bestselling author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels from showrunner/writer Francesca Gardiner and director/EP Mark Mylod. In terms of whether the move to adapt the novels into a multi-season streaming series is a good idea or not, director Chris Columbus (2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) is making it clear that he's all-in on it. Speaking with PEOPLE, Columbus noted that the films could only cover so much from Rowling's works, meaning a number of moments had to be left on the printed page. "The fact that they have the leisure of [multiple] episodes for each book, I think that's fantastic," Columbus shared. "You can get all the stuff in the series that we didn't have an opportunity to do … all these great scenes that we just couldn't put in the films. I look forward to seeing what they're trying to do with it. I think it's great."
Harry Potter: Some of What We Know So Far…
Revealing that 32,000 young actors auditioned for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Gardiner shared back in December 2024 that she "devoured" the books when she was 14 years old and that Rowling's novels offer a "bigger sandpit to play in" than the films. In terms of other characters' ages, we learned that the series is looking to keep them in canon (meaning Snape would be in his really Early 30s, and the Dursleys would be much younger than their big-screen counterparts). Other details shared by Gardiner included how the series will focus more on the Hogwarts staff and "having fun with [poltergeist] Peeves in the corridor." Mylod added that viewers should expect the series to "dig into the depths and crevices of Hogwarts."
The stories from each of Rowling's Harry Potter books will become (from the initial statement that was released when the series news first dropped) "a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."
In terms of casting, previous reports had Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) being eyed to play Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) was being considered for Hogwarts potions master Prof. Severus Snape. The series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
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