The First Harry Potter Hbo Series Trailer Looks Like Everything We Feared

Lara Cornell/HBO

In August of 2025, Chris Columbus — who directed nan first 2 original "Harry Potter" movies and produced nan 3rd earlier bowing retired of nan franchise — addressed immoderate group photos he'd seen of nan small-screen reboot for HBO. Columbus, looking astatine shots of Dominic McLaughlin's Harry Potter and Nick Frost's kindly but bumbling Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, was rather blunt astir nan shots ... and prescient astir nan full thing. "So I'm seeing these photographs ... and he's wearing nan nonstop aforesaid costume that we designed for Hagrid," Columbus said connected a podcast (via People Magazine). "Part of maine was like, 'What's nan point?' I thought everything was going to beryllium different, but it's much of nan same. It's each going to beryllium nan same."

Months later, Columbus was proven precisely right. The first teaser trailer dropped coming for nan HBO series, officially titled "Harry Potter and nan Philosopher's Stone," and erstwhile I watched it, I was absolutely flabbergasted by really acquainted it each looked. The location that belongs to Harry's non-magical aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley (Daniel Rigby and Bel Powley), wherever he spends his full puerility aft his parents die? It looks nan same. The Hogwarts Express that brings Harry and his 2 caller friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton), to school? The same. The hallways of that institution, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? The same.

I consciousness for illustration I'm being gaslit — specifically, gaslit by a tv show that hasn't moreover travel retired yet. It's conscionable unbelievably frustrating that, aft each this buildup, it looks for illustration we're getting what amounts to a shot-for-shot remake. So are location immoderate caller scenes? Yes, but hole to beryllium disappointed!

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Right astatine nan opening of nan teaser trailer, we spot thing that astir apt looked unfamiliar to a batch of "Harry Potter fans: namely, a non-magical Muggle schoolhouse wherever a group of bullies is tormenting Harry. (Notably, 1 of those bullies is his odious relative Dudley Dursley, portrayed successful this bid by Amos Kitson). I'm highly acquainted pinch nan books, truthful I did instantly wonderment if we're really going to spot a segment alluded to successful nan first book where, mid-bullying, Harry accidentally teleports to nan tile of his schoolhouse and gets successful problem for climbing, moreover though he swears to his aunt and uncle that he must person been carried location by a beardown breeze. (Harry is canonically beautiful intelligent, but he's also really dumb a batch of nan time.)

So, is that it? I cognize we'll get like, 7 aliases 8 episodes of this really short communicative — nan first book, "Philosopher's Stone," is beautiful brief, truthful this "season devoted to each book" attack will activity amended if and erstwhile it continues into nan larger tomes — and location will beryllium caller contented scattered passim nan season. Still, I genuinely can't judge that nan only caller scenes successful nan teaser boil down to "Harry gets nan crap kicked retired of him." 

I've been beautiful mouthy, successful general, astir how I deliberation this reboot is much aliases little destined to fail, and I honestly work together pinch Chris Columbus that it feels pointless. So did thing other successful this teaser trailer get my hopes up? Not really!

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

If I must, I will opportunity 1 bully point astir nan trailer: nan kids are very tiny and very charming. Alastair Stout, successful particular, gets a charming spotlight correct astatine nan extremity of nan trailer arsenic his Ron Weasley marvels astatine Harry's scar (which is simply a small subtler successful this show, apparently, than it was successful nan movies), and Dominic McLaughlin seems for illustration he'll do a awesome occupation playing Harry. The remainder of it, though, did not animate overmuch confidence.

I was a major, super-involved "Harry Potter" obsessive for years until 2020, erstwhile bid writer Joanne "J.K." Rowling saw fresh to usage her tremendous worldwide level to denigrate trans women nether nan guise of "protecting" cisgender women. (Trans women are women, and maine saying worldly for illustration that is almost decidedly why Rowling blocked maine connected X.) The contention surrounding Rowling's engagement pinch nan bid arsenic an executive producer has honestly been a blight connected nan bid since it was announced, and erstwhile you adhd successful different things for illustration prima Paapa Essiedu facing horrific racist backlash for playing a "white character" (Potions maestro Severus Snape) and nan uncover that the show won't person an yearly merchandise schedule, it feels almost excessively easy to spot nan penning connected nan wall here.

All of this is to opportunity that I conscionable don't deliberation it's feasible for this show to accommodate each 7 books and stay connected nan aerial — aliases bent connected to its viewership, if it does — and nan trailer didn't make maine immoderate much hopeful. In immoderate case, nan bid starts airing this Christmas, truthful we'll person to spot really nan debut play goes.