HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Gets Columbus’ Honest Take: “What’s the Point?”
Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, has spoken out about HBO’s upcoming remake of the franchise.
Columbus recently appeared on The Rest is Entertainment podcast and reacted to photos showing Nick Frost as Hagrid and Dominic McCullin as the new Harry.
“I looked online and there are photographs of Nick Frost as Hagrid with the new Harry Potter,” Columbus said.
“And he’s wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid. Part of me was like: ‘What’s the point?’ I thought everything [on the HBO show] the costumes and everything was going to be different. It’s more of the same.”
He added that seeing his original designs reused felt both flattering and familiar. “It’s very flattering for me, because I’m like: That’s exactly the Hagrid costume that we designed. So part of it is really exciting. I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it. Part of it is sort of déjà vu all over again.”
Columbus made it clear he isn’t jealous of the new project. “I’m so beyond it. I did it. I’ve done that, it’s time to move on. Same with Potter. 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,” he said.
He explained that his approach to franchises has always been to finish his work and move forward, as he did with Gremlins and Goonies.
The director also shared memories about Peeves the Poltergeist, a character that appeared in early shoots of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone but was cut from the final film.
“We filmed the Peeves scenes, but it was a CGI character and we could never get it right. We could never design the scene the character to any of our liking, so they were cut from the film. That’s the thing I’m probably most excited about in the HBO series, I want to see how they do Peeves. But Rik Mayall’s performance was fantastic.”
HBO’s Harry Potter is set to premiere in 2027 as a multi-season series, promising a faithful adaptation of all seven novels. Producers have said the show will cover far more material from the books than the films could. HBO emphasized that the original films will remain a core part of the franchise and continue to be available worldwide.
Columbus’ comments make sense, reusing costume designs and sets can feel repetitive, but it also shows respect for the original films. At the same time, a new adaptation offers the chance to explore more of the books’ stories in depth. Will this HBO remake add something new or simply retread the classics? Share your thoughts in the comments.
