Harry Potter Movie Chris Columbus Director Slams HBO’s TV Remake: “What’s the Point?”
HBO’s Harry Potter TV series is facing an uphill battle before it even premieres. The eight Harry Potter movies released between 2001 and 2011 are still beloved worldwide, and now that set photos from HBO’s remake are circulating online, the filmmaker who helped launch the franchise is questioning why the series even exists.
During an appearance on The Rest is Entertainment podcast (via THR), Chris Columbus, who directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, had some blunt thoughts about HBO’s approach.
“I looked online and there are photographs of Nick Frost as Hagrid with the new Harry Potter. 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.”
Columbus admitted he’s still curious to see how the show turns out, but the similarities are impossible for him to ignore.
“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.”
The HBO adaptation promises to dive deeper into J.K. Rowling’s novels, with longer screen time allowing for subplots and characters that never made it into the films. Still, at its core, it’s telling the same story.
The leaked set photos showing Nick Frost’s Hagrid wearing nearly identical robes to the ones worn by Robbie Coltrane in the films highlight just how close the show is sticking to the movies’ aesthetic.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Harry Potter films remain pop culture staples, and fans continue to revisit them over a decade later. But for some, including Columbus, the question remains… why redo what’s already iconic?
Set photos aren’t the whole picture. HBO may still deliver a fresh take once polished trailers and footage arrive. Longer storytelling could allow for moments that were rushed or cut in the films, potentially winning over die-hard book fans. But recreating iconic moments like Harry’s first trip to Diagon Alley or seeing Hogwarts for the first time risks inviting comparisons to the movies that are nearly impossible to escape.
Unlike superhero reboots such as Batman or Spider-Man, which remix their source material with new spins, Harry Potter is tied directly to Rowling’s books. That makes the series less flexible and harder to reinvent without simply repeating what’s already been done.
For now, HBO’s Harry Potter remains one of the most talked-about TV projects in development. But Columbus’s blunt reaction cuts to the heart of the conversation, can a remake ever match or surpass the magic of the films audiences already hold so close?