Daniel Radcliffe Shares Emotional Reaction To HBO’s HARRY POTTER Reboot
As HBO moves forward with its upcoming Harry Potter television reboot, fans have been wondering what the original trio thinks about a new generation stepping into Hogwarts.
Now Daniel Radcliffe has shared a little insight, revealing that he’s been in touch with his former co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as the Wizarding World prepares for its next chapter.
HBO’s new adaptation of the Harry Potter books will reimagine all seven novels by J. K. Rowling, with each book unfolding across its own season.
The studio kicked off production in July and has cast Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. The show is targeting a 2027 debut and is being described as a faithful adaptation of the source material.
Radcliffe, who famously portrayed Harry Potter in the eight-film saga from 2001 to 2011, recently spoke with PEOPLE about reconnecting with Grint and Watson as the series gears up.
While they haven’t been dissecting scripts or trading production details, they’ve definitely been feeling the moment together.
He shared that they’ve been talking about “how surreal [it is] to watch people starting off on that journey, all those years later.” At the same time, he made it clear there hasn’t been “a ton of communication about the show specifically.”
For Radcliffe, seeing photos of the young cast has stirred up some very human instincts.
“It’s one of those where I think we all just know how the others feel, because we’re also feeling it,” Radcliffe said. “You just see the pictures of these kids, and you just want to grab them and hug them. That’s the impulse that I think that we, mainly, all have.”
It has also forced him to reexamine what it meant to start the films at just 11 years old. Back then, he felt ready. Now, looking at kids the same age, it hits differently.
“When you’re 11, and you’re doing something, you’re like, ‘Of course I’m old enough to do this — I’m the oldest I’ve ever been,’” he said. “But now when I meet 11-year-olds, I am like, ‘Whoa, that seems nuts.’ It puts into perspective.”
That shift in perspective has even deepened his appreciation for the people who helped guide him through the whirlwind.
“Honestly, it makes me admire, and I do tell them this, but my parents, more than I was capable of doing at the time. Just going like, ‘Wow, you got me through something crazy, and you did it with a huge amount of humor.’ It’s a big task.”
There’s something cool about seeing the actors who defined Harry Potter for a generation now watching from the sidelines as the story gets retold. They aren’t hovering over the project, and they aren’t trying to steer it. They’re simply looking at these new kids stepping into Hogwarts robes and remembering what that ride felt like.
HBO’s Harry Potter series is set to premiere in 2027.