Harry Potter Movie Director Blasts HBO’s TV Remake: “What’s the Point?”

One of the biggest challenges facing HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series is that immensely popular adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s novels already exist. From 2001-2011, eight Harry Potter movies were released, all of which were massive hits at the box office. And though the movies wrapped up over a decade ago, they remain staples of the zeitgeist. Everything from the films’ iconography to the standout performances of the cast threatens to loom large over the TV show. Now that HBO’s Harry Potter is in production and set photos have made their way online, the director who launched the film series is wondering what the point is.

During an appearance on the podcast The Rest is Entertainment (via The Hollywood Reporter), Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Harry Potter movies, had some strong words about HBO’s version. “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,” Columbus said. “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 maintained he’s still excited to see how the show turns out, but he can’t help but feel some “déjà vu” when looking at the photos. “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,” he said. “I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it. Part of it is sort of déjà vu all over again.”

Chris Columbus’ Comments Highlight the Biggest Hurdle for HBO’s Harry Potter

As a TV show, HBO’s Harry Potter should be able to take advantage of the long-form medium and provide more comprehensive adaptations of Rowling’s books. There’s more screen time to play with, meaning characters and plot points cut from the movies can appear on the series. Still, that doesn’t change the fact the films and the TV show are adapting the same exact story, so there are going to be plenty of similarities between the two. Aesthetic details in HBO’s version, such as costumes and location design, seem to be drawing from what was shown in the movies.

Nick Frost’s Hagrid wearing the same costume as Robbie Coltrane isn’t proof HBO’s Harry Potter will be bad. But Columbus probably isn’t the only person wondering “what’s the point?” The enduring popularity of the movies raises the question of who the Harry Potter TV remake is for, as those who grew up with the movies still revisit the films today, and the series will still have to make changes to the books (which could upset book purists).

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It’s important to not judge something solely off amateur set photos and videos taken during production. By the time the first trailer for HBO’s Harry Potter debuts, the finished footage could highlight key differences Columbus was expecting and illustrate why the series will be worthwhile. However, on the other hand, the first footage could just reinforce the director’s point. Watching Harry shop in Diagon Alley with Hagrid and see the Hogwarts castle for the first time will only call to mind those same moments from the films. There’s only so many ways to portray that on screen.

Throughout Hollywood history, several franchises have been rebooted and reinvented. Multiple actors have played superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, for instance. But in those cases, the creative teams aren’t making straight adaptations of a specific text; they draw from the source material to tell their own stories and put a fresh spin on things. HBO’s Harry Potter feels like it’s behind the eight ball because it’s a straight adaptation of something that’s already been brought to life before. Perhaps the showrunners will find a way to surprise audiences, but the Harry Potter series has its work cut out for it.