If you've been hearing a lot about the forthcoming "Harry Potter" reboot for HBO and wondering who exactly this new adaptation is intended for in the first place, you're not alone! Director Chris Columbus, known for "Home Alone" and the first two "Harry Potter" movies, noticed that the new series might end up serving as a poor imitation of the original film franchise.
During an appearance on "The Rest Is Entertainment" podcast hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde, Columbus discussed some recent
set photos (via People Magazine) of the new actor playing Harry Potter himself, Dominic McLaughlin, alongside "Shawn of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" star Nick Frost as the big-hearted (and literally big) Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid. (Harry and Hagrid were played in Columbus' inaugural "Potter" film, subtitled "The Sorcerer's Stone," by Daniel Radcliffe and Robbie Coltrane, who continued playing those roles through the end of the franchise.) So what did Columbus think? Well, he was pretty blunt.
"So I'm seeing these photographs ... and he's wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid," Columbus said to Osman and Hyde. "Part of me was like, 'What's the point?' I thought everything was going to be different, but it's more of the same. It's all going to be the same."
Still, Columbus — who likely appeared on "The Rest is Entertainment" because his adaptation of Osman's hit novel "The Thursday Murder Club" drops on Netflix on August 28 — seemed to be looking on the bright side, so to speak. "It's very flattering for me because I'm like, 'That's exactly the Hagrid costume that we designed,'" he joked, and to be clear, he's right. With that said, Columbus' feelings about the entire project aren't negative, even though he seemed pretty clear about not returning to the wizarding world of "Harry Potter."
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Chris Columbus Is Proud Of His Work On Harry Potter, But Won't Come Back To The Franchise
During that same interview on "The Rest is Entertainment," Columbus did say that he's looking forward to seeing what the series — which will be helmed by "Succession" alum Francesca Gardiner and bring that Emmy-winning drama's frequent director Mark Mylod on board as well — does with the famous franchise. "Part of it is really exciting, so I'm excited to see what they're going to do with it," he said. "Part of it is sort of déjà vu, all over again."
He also said he doesn't particularly envy Gardiner and Mylod in that he tries to stay away from franchise work and is happy with his own work. As a reminder, Columbus directed "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (or, if you're across the pond, "Philosopher's Stone") and the second movie, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" before stepping out of the director's chair and serving as a producer for the third film, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," which was directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
"Jealous? No. It's time to move on," Columbus said. "I've always had issues with [the] idea of franchise. I feel like I've done it ... I'm really proud of those films, the first three that I was involved with, and I'm moving on."
Still, Columbus also recently told The Radio Times that there are certain scenes from the book version of "Sorcerer's Stone" that he didn't get to include in his adaptation that he hopes to see in the series, including scenes involving the poltergeist Peeves and a logic-based Potions puzzle. "I think the best part of the series is the fact it's 10 hours for the first book, which we didn't have the opportunity to do. I'm a little envious," he said then.
That still doesn't mean Columbus is eager to return to the wizarding world, though. In fact, Columbus chatted with Variety at an event for "The Thursday Murder Club" and clarified that he's absolutely finished. "No, I've done it, you saw my version," he said. "There's nothing left for me to do in the world of 'Potter.'"
HBO's Upcoming Harry Potter Adaptation Has Already Become A Lightning Rod For Controversy
To be perfectly fair to Chris Columbus, whose flip comment of "What's the point?" will probably be reprinted everywhere as proof that he hates "Harry Potter" or something, this is a very valid question. Here's a brief timeline of the series: The first book, written by Joanne "J.K." Rowling, hit shelves in 1997, and the movie adaptation directed by Columbus followed in 2001 (by that time, the first three books — "Sorcerer's Stone," "Chamber of Secrets," and "Azkaban" — were already out). The film franchise spanned eight movies after it split the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," into two films released roughly six months apart, but it ended in 2011. As I write this, it's 2025. That's ... not a huge gap, all things considered.
I understand that pop culture is becoming an ourobouros where everything repeats itself ad nauseum, whether Sheldon is young or we just do "Harry Potter" again, but as a series this time. Still, this feels egregious, and it's already attracting controversy because of Rowling's heavy involvement. Since 2020, Rowling has spent what seems to be the vast majority of her time attacking the transgender community, especially transgender women, under the guise of "protecting" women; I'm far from the first person to declare this, but trans women are women and need to be included in any feminist protection offered by those with privilege. It's also notable that Daniel Radcliffe and his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, the latter of whom play Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the films, have spoken out against Rowling's expressed views ... only for her to work on a series that recasts the "golden trio" with a new set of actors.
What's particularly interesting to me is that, in his Variety chat, Columbus even made sure to clarify that he doesn't support Rowling's controversial and frankly cruel views. "I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that's important to do," Columbus said. "It's unfortunate, what's happened. I certainly don't agree with what she's talking about. But it's just sad, it's very sad."
The mere existence of a new "Harry Potter" adaptation is, at face level, sort of weird, and it looks like the skeptics among us can count Columbus amongst our ranks. The original "Harry Potter" movies, meanwhile, are streaming on HBO Max and Peacock now.
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