Harry Potter TV Series in the works

[tomsmoviemadness 4,271]

4 hours ago, Matt C said:

 

It’s going to be weird seeing the new cast in the same sets, accompanied by Hedwig’s Theme.

 

Who knows if they will use Williams' theme...

[Chen G. 5,172]

4 hours ago, Matt C said:

It’s going to be weird seeing the new cast in the same sets, accompanied by Hedwig’s Theme.

 

Who says it's the same sets? The footage of Little Whinging already looks different to the one from the films. Presumably the other sets will follow suit.

 

[bollemanneke 4,013]

15 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Well, they look the part.

 

I just hope they keep these kids away from social media and their official channels are managed by the parents and/or team. Because there will be a barrage of hate, moaning, bitching, "you don't look like the character" types and even some creepy weirdos.

I always wonder whether humanity will eventually transcend the socials...

[Lady Dimitrescu 9,901]

They should just cast AI actors instead. AI is great at dishing out retaliatory snark.

[Alex 2,939]

I would love Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou as Vernon and Petunia. They already have great chemistry from What We Do In The Shadows.

 

[Matt C 539]

17 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Who says it's the same sets? The footage of Little Whinging already looks different to the one from the films. Presumably the other sets will follow suit.

 

The studio saves a lot of money if they reuse the sets at the Harry Potter studio tour in the UK. They can redress them & such to set it apart from the movies.

 

17 hours ago, tomsmoviemadness said:

Who knows if they will use Williams' theme...

The announcement trailer for the show features the American book logo used for the films as well as the opening bars of Hedwig’s Theme.

 

 

[Richard P 4,772]

It's one of the most recognisable themes in the world - we should be excited that the maestro's work lives on in massive public consciousness.

 

Then whoever composes this show can come up with their own catalog of themes.

[Chen G. 5,172]

9 hours ago, Matt C said:

The studio saves a lot of money if they reuse the sets at the Harry Potter studio tour in the UK. They can redress them & such to set it apart from the movies.

Yes, but what's the point of doing the story over again if it's going to look the same? I just don't see the point and from what I can tell, the filmmakers don't either.

 

Not that I would be surprised to see some things looking similar or even the same, maybe one of the actors of the previous iterations returning in another role, or even hear the Williams theme. But I don't expect the show as a whole to be the same Hogwarts just with different actors and in a TV series format.

 

[Crimson Nagus 49]

I just don’t think WB has invested all this money in other properties, like Hogwarts Legacy and the theme park lands and attractions, to completely change the design language of the universe. No, I don’t think things will look exactly the same but I think they will feel the same, if that makes sense. Like Hogwarts changes some from the movies to the games to the Universal attractions but, it generally feels like the same castle.  WB is not going to want a new generation, growing up on this show, to visit the theme park attractions and say “this isn’t Harry Potter”.

[Pieter Boelen 1,019]

9 minutes ago, Crimson Nagus said:

I just don’t think WB has invested all this money in other properties, like Hogwarts Legacy and the theme park lands and attractions, to completely change the design language of the universe. No, I don’t think things will look exactly the same but I think they will feel the same, if that makes sense. Like Hogwarts changes some from the movies to the games to the Universal attractions but, it generally feels like the same castle.  WB is not going to want a new generation, growing up on this show, to visit the theme park attractions and say “this isn’t Harry Potter”.

Indeed that's what I suspect as well. 

But I agree with what @Chen G. writes above too.

They've really set themselves up for the perfect no-win scenario. 

[Nick1Ø66 6,776]

On 29/5/2025 at 3:34 AM, Chen G. said:

Yes, but what's the point of doing the story over again if it's going to look the same? I just don't see the point and from what I can tell, the filmmakers don't either.

 

I mean, you know the point. Everyone knows why they’re doing it.

 

And you can be sure, the look of the series is not a purely creative decision on the part of the “filmmakers”. That’s generally not how TV shows work. You don’t think WB has a huge say on how this will look? Arguably their most valuable asset? This isn’t some small scrappy film being created by an auteur. This is Harry fracking Potter. They have a theme park.
 

In any event, I wouldn't read too much into photo's of an under construction set. Little Whinging is just middle-class Sussex suburbia. There's little iconic about the set, at least the outside, and making it look a little different is hardly planting a stake that you're breaking from the film's creatively.  

 

What's going to matter is how Hogwart's looks, and my strong suspicion is that it's going to be a Rings of Power situation. It's gonna sort of look like the films, and certainly evoke that general aesthetic, but different enough to be distinct. But not SO different that it compromises the considerable amount of resources WB has put into creating the Potterverse "look".

 

I mean, I get what you're saying from a creative standpoint, it should look wholly different. But it won't, for the same reason Rings of Power doesn't...there's a certain look the public expects of this world, and WB isn't going to mess with that, it just doesn't make sense from a marketing perspective for them to do so.

 

Indeed, they are sort of in a no-win scenario, because, well, is there a really compelling creative reason for this series to exist? If they want to make a series that's more faithful, and more complete, well OK. But when you get to how the series will look, creativity clashes with commerce.

 

1 hour ago, Crimson Nagus said:

I just don’t think WB has invested all this money in other properties, like Hogwarts Legacy and the theme park lands and attractions, to completely change the design language of the universe. No, I don’t think things will look exactly the same but I think they will feel the same, if that makes sense. Like Hogwarts changes some from the movies to the games to the Universal attractions but, it generally feels like the same castle.  WB is not going to want a new generation, growing up on this show, to visit the theme park attractions and say “this isn’t Harry Potter”.

 

Yep.

[bored 565]

Probably just going to be an underwhelming version of the movies with more content is what my expectations are set at now. Hopefully Voldemort and his design are more interesting and threatening this time, that's the only thing I'm curious about at this point. If they get Cillian Murphy to play him like some fan suggestions had that could be something. 

[Pieter Boelen 1,019]

36 minutes ago, bored said:

Probably just going to be an underwhelming version of the movies with more content is what my expectations are set at now.

Sounds like realistic expectations to me. 

I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering here. 

Both look and music will either be similar to the movies or inferior. 

All they've got going for them is the cut content from the books.

[Chen G. 5,172]

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

I mean, I get what you're saying from a creative standpoint, it should look wholly different. But it won't, for the same reason Rings of Power doesn't...there's a certain look the public expects of this world, and WB isn't going to mess with that, it just doesn't make sense from a marketing perspective for them to do so.

 

I mean, I definitely don't expect a radically different Hogwarts. But these things exist in degrees. Like, of the multiple adaptations of Oliver Twist, many did it in the same mid-1800s setting, but still found ways to not just look like approximate copies of each other.

 

Rings of Power is really trying to activelly fool audiences into thinking it's a prequel to something it isn't. That's on a whole other level of copycat: the only thing on a similar level is Sam Raimi's The Great and Wonderful Oz. Compare that with, say, Wicked which is definitely trying to never stray too far from the iconic look of Oz, but nevertheless isn't trying to fool people into thinking it's something that it is not.

 

That said, if they do do a Rings of Power thing, I wouldn't be too shocked.

[mrbellamy 7,302]

42 minutes ago, bored said:

If they get Cillian Murphy to play him like some fan suggestions had that could be something. 

 

I think Murphy is aiming too high. I can't imagine him doing this right now while he's a bigger movie star than he's ever been. 

[JazzyNips 79]

7 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

 

 

I mean, I get what you're saying from a creative standpoint, it should look wholly different. But it won't, for the same reason Rings of Power doesn't...there's a certain look the public expects of this world, and WB isn't going to mess with that, it just doesn't make sense from a marketing perspective for them to do so.

Are you saying RoP looks like the Jackson films? Idk if I can agree with that.

[Nick1Ø66 6,776]

9 minutes ago, JazzyNips said:

Are you saying RoP looks like the Jackson films? Idk if I can agree with that.

 

[Chen G. 5,172]

6 hours ago, JazzyNips said:

Are you saying RoP looks like the Jackson films?

 

It looks similar (never the same) but with a bunch of pixie-dust ontop. Narsil and Durin's Bane are surely the two closest calls:

 

 

Read about Sam Raimi's The Great and Powerful Oz: how they had the do the wideshots of the Emerald city (which isn't even actually emerald in the novel) similar in the vague outline of the city, but not the same as the 1939 version. Or how they had to come-up with a shade of green to put on Mila Kunis that was similar enough to the 1939 version to their liking, but also not so similar that the Warner representative on-set would motion to sue for copyright infringment.

 

Fast-forward ten years and that's Rings of Power (with the added factor, in the first season, of drafting a lot of the people who worked on those films). Now it remains to be seen if the new Harry Potter show pulls a Rings of Power, or perhaps something more like Superman Returns.

 

[1977 1,815]

I have zero interest in this other than a faint hope that we get decent scores from an established composer with serious chops, and that there is actually a consistent musical continuity throughout (i.e. not like the films).

[Richard P 4,772]

21 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Indeed, they are sort of in a no-win scenario, because, well, is there a really compelling creative reason for this series to exist? If they want to make a series that's more faithful, and more complete, well OK. But when you get to how the series will look, creativity clashes with commerce.

 

I don't get this general obsession with the idea that the series *may* design-wise, look similar to the films. Why is this a problem?

 

I'd look to a series to include much more subplot, more creative freedom to put things in that the films didn't have time for, almost certainly better effects, a different writing, directing and showrunning team, and of course a new perspective on the music. I think it's a nice opportunity to make an updated version, in a long-form format that I think should've happened to start with.

 

If they do a great job and the show is entertaining, the similar look won't be an issue. If it sucks or doesn't actually add any more story, it won't be the production design at fault.

[Nick1Ø66 6,776]

50 minutes ago, Richard P said:

I don't get this general obsession with the idea that the series *may* design-wise, look similar to the films. Why is this a problem?

 

Hmmmm. Well I'm neither obsessed with, or against the idea. I see it as fait accompli, and assume that the series will, while not being a copy, certainly evoke the design aesthetic of the films. It will look "different"  in the way that Hogwart's looks slightly different from film to film. Which is fine with me, as I quite like the look of the films. And, again, I get why WB isn't going to want to reinvent the wheel in this situation. 

 

21 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Like, of the multiple adaptations of Oliver Twist, many did it in the same mid-1800s setting, but still found ways to not just look like approximate copies of each other

 

Again, I'm not sure Dickens or Shakespeare is the best example here. There's no one, single "iconic" vision of Oliver Twist or Hamlet like there is, currently, Hogwarts or Middle-earth. And, to be blunt, the general public doesn't care about Dickens or Shakespeare the way they to Tolkien and Rowling.  They certainly don't have fixed images of what adaptions should look like of the former.

 

21 hours ago, Chen G. said:

Rings of Power is really trying to activelly fool audiences into thinking it's a prequel to something it isn't

 

That may be true, but setting aside the motivation, and the issue of copyright, HBO with Potter is in much the same position as Amazon with ROP. A completely diffrent set of creatives, making a TV show from the same source material, wanting to evoke look of the popular films that came before, without copying them directly. 

[Chen G. 5,172]

1 hour ago, Richard P said:

I don't get this general obsession with the idea that the series *may* design-wise, look similar to the films. Why is this a problem?

 

I mean, cinema is a visual medium. You don't want to feel like you're watching a lookalike of something else.

 

We'll see how this show walks that tightrope. I can only hope it does so more gracefully than the Amazon show.

[Schilkeman 1,460]

TV isn’t cinema, and how far afield from the descriptions in the books can they go before it’s no longer recognizable.
 

Of all the complaints I could lob at the films, the production design is generally spot on. The point of this exercise, hopefully, is to make a more faithful and complete adaptation. I don’t see how they do that, and make it look significantly different.

[tomsmoviemadness 4,271]

 

 

[Edmilson 10,517]

 

[tomsmoviemadness 4,271]

 

 

 

[Toillion 387]

[Holko 11,397]

Such a reimagining that it's the same robe/uniform design and they even moved the scar to the side like the previous movies (book has it in the middle). Also already in full Gryffindor getup in s1e1? Probably just a staged pic.

[mrbellamy 7,302]

This is weird

[Yavar Moradi 3,597]

1 hour ago, Holko said:

Such a reimagining that it's the same robe/uniform design and they even moved the scar to the side like the previous movies (book has it in the middle). Also already in full Gryffindor getup in s1e1? Probably just a staged pic.

 

I could easily imagine episode 1 ending with the sorting into houses. How many episodes is season 1 supposed to be, anyway? I expect that seasons 1 and 2 will be shorter than following seasons since the books are so much shorter and simpler. If every season is the same length that'll be weird because some of the better books will end up so much more compressed (unless they split into two seasons like GoT seasons 3 & 4 which adapted book 3).

 

Anyhow, much more interesting IMO than the image is this:

"Today, HBO also unveiled the department heads behind the show. These are Adriano Goldman (Director of Photography), Cate Hall (Hair and Makeup Designer), Paul Herbert (Stunt Coordinator), Mark Holt (SFX Supervisor), Mara LePere-Schloop (Production Designer), Naomi Moore (Set Decorator), John Nolan (Creature Effects Design Supervisor), Alexis Wajsbrot (VFX Supervisor), Dom Sidoli (VFX Producer), and previously announced Holly Waddington (Costume Designer)."

https://deadline.com/2025/07/harry-potter-first-look-image-revealed-1236456482/

 

Director of Photography Adriano Goldman did The Crown and Andor Season 1! John Nolan (Creature Effects) did amazing work for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher Season 1, and the film adaptations of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire (which for my money had the most interesting creature designs out of all eight Harry Potter films)!

 

Yavar

[Tom 5,615]

Anyone else hate that kid already?  

[mrbellamy 7,302]

7 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

 

I could easily imagine episode 1 ending with the sorting into houses. How many episodes is season 1 supposed to be, anyway? I expect that seasons 1 and 2 will be shorter than following seasons since the books are so much shorter and simpler. 

 

They've already announced casting for Lucius and Fudge which made me wonder whether they're working those characters into Philosopher's Stone, or if Season 1 is gonna include Chamber of Secrets, or if they're shooting them back to back. 

[Bespin Copilot 9,626]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

Anyone else hate that kid already?  

 

He looks like a girl a guy from the UK (EDITED).

Oh, sorry can we say that?

[Holko 11,397]

31 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

could easily imagine episode 1 ending with the sorting into houses.

Yes, that would be a sensible point, but then they'd have to go at the same pace as the movie assuming 1 hour episodes. So they'd have to do things the same way and leave out roughly the same things. Then what's the pooooint of thiiiiis

[mrbellamy 7,302]

14 minutes ago, Holko said:

what's the pooooint of thiiiiis

[Chen G. 5,172]

48 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

John Nolan (Creature Effects) did amazing work for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher Season 1, and the film adaptations of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire (which for my money had the most interesting creature designs out of all eight Harry Potter films)!

 

Now there's an interesting question: will this show make an effort to recruit artisans from the film adaptations - like Rings of Power did - or will they only overlap to an extent that you can expect out of two very substantial productions based in the UK?

 

Something to look out for.

 

[Yavar Moradi 3,597]

17 minutes ago, Holko said:

Yes, that would be a sensible point, but then they'd have to go at the same pace as the movie assuming 1 hour episodes. So they'd have to do things the same way and leave out roughly the same things. Then what's the pooooint of thiiiiis

 

Damn, does the sorting hat really not occur until one hour into the movie?? Crazy.

 

In any case, if I were re-adapting the first Harry Potter novel into say a six-episode first season (I really don't think that first book sustains more than six screen hours, which is over twice the length of the already-long movie) I would personally choose to concentrate on fleshing out the plot *after* Harry arrives at Hogwarts. Is there a lot of pre-Hogwarts stuff in the book which you feel like they should fit back in?

 

Yavar

[mrbellamy 7,302]

There is stuff they could extrapolate on in terms of establishing Harry's miserable Muggle life, how Harry was treated at school and stuff, some of that is described. And the movie starts with Dumbledore arriving but the book begins with the preceding day that followed Voldemort's demise from Uncle Vernon's perspective, so they could do that. I could see an episode 1 that ended with the first letter arriving. 

[Tom Guernsey 3,280]

Hating on a child? Seriously. Fucking stop that right now. 

[bollemanneke 4,013]

Wait, you can't end the first episode with the sorting. That's way too much. Why not end it after Hagrid reveals Harry's true story? If they're not going to do this as thoroughly as posssible, there's really no point doing it at all.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the first two movies are already faithful enough. 1 certainly is. In any case, I'm only interested in what they're going to bring for 3 onwards. Maybe 4. Yes, 4, even though that movie was more than decent. But it's 5-8 that are begging for decent adaptations the most.

[Tom 5,615]

30 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Hating on a child? Seriously. Fucking stop that right now. 

Fine, I am hating on the image of a fictional character.  

[Yavar Moradi 3,597]

I agree that the first two books are the least in need of extended adaptations, being the simplest and shortest books by far, while being already overlong as films IMO. But it's not like they can realistically skip the first two books while re-adapting as a new TV series. So I just hope they keep those two to a modest six episodes each. I really don't need them adding much more stuff ("extrapolating") than was in the books, honestly. And starting from book three onwards I think each one could easily sustain a 10 episode season.

 

The first letter arriving at the end of episode 1? Hell no. I think he's at least got to arrive at Hogwarts by the end of episode 1 even if the sorting doesn't happen until episode 2.

 

Yavar

[mrbellamy 7,302]

I'll be shocked if it's that concise, this is modern TV we're talking about 

[Tom Guernsey 3,280]

44 minutes ago, Tom said:

Fine, I am hating on the image of a fictional character.  

I mean that’s not how it reads and even if it was what you meant then it’s still a pretty unpleasant thing to say. No wonder child stars often turn out so fucked up when even a single picture of them can provoke such an unwarranted response. You can hate the show or whatever but he’s just a person who is still growing up doing a job.

 

2 hours ago, Bespin Copilot said:

 

He looks like a girl a guy from the UK (EDITED).

Oh, sorry can we say that?

Also pretty unwarranted and unnecessary.

 

Sorry if everyone thinks I’m turning into one of those people who provokes “you can’t say anything these days” comments but picking on a child is just wrong. 

[Bespin Copilot 9,626]

Hey, it's me. You know it's... Me. It's nothing than just bullshit irony/sarcasm... everytime. No more, no less.

 

 

You know, I don't blame that little guy... he's what, 11 years old? And he's already richer than me!

[Tom 5,615]

Again, if I were going into the park and saying a hate some kid, that would be a problem.  However, the context is a kid portraying someone other than that kid.  Obvious any expressions of dislike are tied to the role in question. The image radiates a self-aware smugness (which I assume is acting because he is an actor) that is very dislikable in a portrayal of a young Potter (and the picture is very obviously a portrayal of a young Potter).  I would say the same if it was a CGI-rendered image. Maybe the performance will be different, but I can only evaluate on the picture that production team has shared.  I suppose that I need not share my impressions.   

[TSMefford 1,572]

5 hours ago, Holko said:

it's the same robe/uniform design

 

There's some small tweaks. The tie is a different design and the sweater is actually a dark red now vs the gray. Overall, the uniform may have a bit more color to it.

Haven't seen the crest designs yet.

 

I'm mainly just commenting because this thread is here. I have no real intention of watching the show.

Only saw the pic because its everywhere.

[Mr. Hooper 5,119]

34 minutes ago, Bespin Copilot said:

Hey, it's me. You know it's... Me. It's nothing than just bullshit irony/sarcasm... everytime. No more, no less.

 

 

You know, I don't blame that little guy... he's what, 11 years old? And he's already richer than me!

Only Larry David can get away with the "Hey, it's me" defence. The rest of us need to explain ourselves.

[Bespin Copilot 9,626]

Damn canadian.

[Matt C 539]

4 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Now there's an interesting question: will this show make an effort to recruit artisans from the film adaptations - like Rings of Power did - or will they only overlap to an extent that you can expect out of two very substantial productions based in the UK?

 

Something to look out for.

 

The show has a contract with Framestore to do the VFX. Framestore did work on all eight HP films plus the three Fantastic Beasts movies. 
 

I don’t know if the show will contract with ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks or Double Negative for potential future seasons.