Chris Columbus, director of the original Harry Potter films, has praised HBO's upcoming reboot series as a "spectacular idea," believing its episodic format will allow for a more faithful adaptation of the books.
Speaking to People, Columbus explained the limitations he faced with the films' shorter runtimes. While he and his team "tried to get as much of the book in as possible," the two-hour-plus format of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets proved restrictive.
"I think it's a spectacular idea because there’s a certain restriction when you’re making a film," Columbus stated. "Our film was two hours and 40 minutes, and the second one was almost as long. The fact that they have the leisure of [multiple] episodes for each book, I think that's fantastic. 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."
Announced in April 2023, the HBO series promises a "faithful adaptation" of the novels, aiming for a more in-depth narrative than a film could achieve. Succession producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod are attached to direct and write, with Mylod also having Game of Thrones experience on his resume.
Casting is currently underway for Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Regarding the role of Dumbledore, original Sirius Black actor Gary Oldman jokingly suggested he's now the appropriate age, having debuted in The Prisoner of Azkaban two decades ago.
However, reports indicate that actor and playwright Mark Rylance is a frontrunner for the Dumbledore role, maintaining the original films' focus on British actors. This is perhaps unsurprising given J.K. Rowling's reported "fairly involved" participation in the casting process.
Production on the Harry Potter TV show is expected to begin in spring 2025, with an HBO release targeted for 2026.
