Harry Potter director praises HBO reboot; calls it 'A Spectacular Idea'

Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter movies, supported the idea of the upcoming HBO series reboot

Chris Columbus, the original Harry Potter director, called the HBO’s upcoming series reboot, a “spectacular idea.” He shared his excitement about the opportunity the format offers, especially knowing the struggle he faced while shooting the films; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).

 

The new series will be directed by Mark Mylod adapting the first book of Rowling's series, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', turning it into several hour-long episodes. 

 

In an interview with PEOPLE, he shared his struggle while making the movies and called the series a “spectacular idea.”

 

"Because there's a certain restriction when you're making a film. Our film was two hours and 40 minutes, and the second one was almost as long," he added.

 

"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."

Series will dive deeper into the magical world: Columbus

Columbus believes that the upcoming series will dive deeper into the magical world. He also mentioned the challenges while representing the character development present in Rowling's book.

 

He believes that the new format will allow more room for nuance and exploration which will enhance the experience for viewers.

 

There is no official announcement on the highly anticipated casting as of now and the series is likely to feature a new cast of actors, filing for the iconic role of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. 

Over 30,000 children shared audition tapes

Reportedly, more than 30,000 children already submitted audition tapes for these roles in a nationwide casting call in the UK. While discussing the major villain, Columbus said, “Well, Cillian [Murphy] is one of my favorite actors, so that would be amazing.”

 

The comment from Columbus has sparked excitement among fans. Columbus embraced the idea of bringing the story of Harry Potter to new generations of viewers while offering a more in-depth exploration of the magical world. He looks optimistic for the upcoming series which added a growing excitement around its release.