Harry Potter

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Chris Columbus, the renowned director responsible for the first two Harry Potter films (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), recently shared his thoughts on HBO’s upcoming television reimagining of the Wizarding World. He proposed an ideal choice for Lord Voldemort in this new adaptation. The announcement of HBO’s reboot was made in April 2023, with updates scarce since then as the network is said to be wrapping up its casting decisions following a broad audition process. Notably, several actors from Warner Bros.’ original films have voiced their opinions on the remake, with Columbus being the most recent. While some fans are already skeptical about the reboot, Columbus encourages the fandom to remain open-minded.

Online enthusiasts have been discussing the cast for this show ever since its reveal in 2023. Besides the main trio – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger – Severus Snape and Lord Voldemort are undeniably crucial characters to get right. It seems HBO might have found their Professor Snape in Paapa Essiedu, but Voldemort continues to be known as He Who Must Not Be Named. In an interview with People Magazine, Columbus revealed his fan casting pick for the part, and it’s exactly who fans are hoping for. The director stated:

“Well, Cillian [Murphy] is one of my favorite actors, so that would be amazing.”

It’s widely speculated that Cillian Murphy could portray Lord Voldemort in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot, with both fans and the original actor, Ralph Fiennes, backing this casting choice. In a 2024 interview, Fiennes expressed his support for Murphy to step into the role of “You Know Who.” Fiennes praised Murphy as an exceptional actor and welcomed the idea wholeheartedly, stating, “Cillian is terrific. That’s a great idea; I’d be completely on board with Cillian.

Chris Columbus Completely Supports HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot

Chris Columbus expressed his enthusiasm for the concept of a television revival of “Harry Potter”, stating that it was a fantastic idea. Throughout the entire series, Columbus not only directed the initial two movies but also served as an executive producer on every subsequent film, right up until “The Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in 2011. Having had to trim certain storylines from the novels due to the time constraints of feature films, Columbus feels that a TV reboot can adapt and fully embrace these aspects from J.K. Rowling’s books. Columbus elaborated by saying…

There are limitations when crafting a movie, as our film was about two hours and 40 minutes long, and the sequel was similarly lengthy. I believe that having multiple episodes per book is wonderful because it allows for incorporation of all the series details we didn’t get to include in the films… numerous fantastic scenes that we simply couldn’t fit into our movies. I eagerly anticipate what they plan to achieve with this approach; I think it’s terrific!

Although Columbus seems to be enjoying the new series, not all those connected with the original movies fully agree. Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris who played Dumbledore in the originals, has expressed criticism towards the reboot, expressing doubt as to why it was necessary. “Why bother? I don’t get it. The movies were outstanding – let them be,” he stated.

HBO’s Harry Potter reboot is currently expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027.

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2025-01-20 18:02