Chris Columbus, who originally brought Harry Potter to the big screen as the director of 2001’s “The Stone of the Magician” and 2002’s “The Chamber of Secrets,” recently appeared on the “The Rese Is Entertainment” podcast, rebooting after HBO’s upcoming series saw Nick Frost’s photo as Hagagrid. Columbus cast Robbie Coltrane as the iconic Hogwarts groundkeeper.
“So I’m looking at these photos…and (Nick Frost) is wearing the exact same outfit that we designed for Hagrid. Some of me were: What’s the point?” Columbus said. “I thought everything was different from costumes, but it’s the same. It’s all going to be the same.”
“That’s very flattering to me, because it’s exactly the Hagrid outfit we designed,” Columbus added. “So part of it is really exciting, so I’m excited to see what they do with it. Part of it is Deja Vu once again.”
Columbus previously spoke to Variety in an interview, saying he has no interest in being part of HBO’s Harry Potter series, explaining, “I did that, you saw my version… There’s nothing I can do in the Potter world.” He doubled the take during a podcast interview.
“Jeal? No. It’s time to move on,” the director said. “I’ve always had problems with the idea of franchise. I feel like I’ve done it… I’m really proud of those films, the first three films I’ve been involved in, and I’ll move on.”
In another interview with Standard, Columbus said he recently met Nick Frost, and he was honest with him. “I said, ‘This is very surreal to me, so it’s just weird, weird.”
Columbus has no harsh feelings towards HBO to restart “Harry Potter.” He is well known for having a full season of television to coordinate each book that the series can include those he was forced to cut into the film. One Exmarple is the first book pee. The character says, “I didn’t get caught up in the movie – I didn’t have time to develop the character.”
“The great thing about that is, with the first and second and third books, we wanted to do it all. We wanted to bring all of that to the screen. “So for me (the show) is an opportunity to make all of these scenes come true.”
Speaking to Collider earlier this year, Frost praised Coltrane’s Hagrid Performance and told fans not to expect carbon copies.
“I try to do something, not ‘different’. I think you have to respect the subject, but there is a fine range of things in it,” explained Frost. “I’ve always read Hagrid. He’s like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm kid. The beauty of being able to do a book in the season means exploring it more and I can’t wait.”
HBO’s Harry Potter is currently in production and is scheduled to debut in 2027.
