So, HBO has recently released the first teaser trailer for the Harry Potter TV series, officially titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, since the eight-episode season will cover J. K. Rowling’s first book of the same name. Already smeared with controversy before the trailer debuted, the two minutes and nine seconds of footage isn’t exactly inspiring confidence. And ironically, there’s an early scene in the teaser trailer, where Petunia Dursley cuts Harry’s (Dominic McLaughlin) hair and tells him that he’s “nothing special”. That pretty much sums up my overall feeling after watching the trailer.
Hans Zimmer’s Score Sounds… Misguided
The first thing I notice upon watching the Harry Potter trailer is Hans Zimmer’s score playing throughout the minutes-long footage, building his music at a deliberate crescendo. His score grows progressively louder with a deep, cinematic melody that matches the intensity of the trailer. No doubt that Hans Zimmer is one of the best film composers working today, whose illustrious work speaks for itself from Rain Man to The Lion King, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Dune.
But something as beloved as Harry Potter, the score has to be distinctive enough to stand out on its own. John Williams, who scored the first three Harry Potter films, with the first movie alone, has a unique sense of magical whimsy and childlike wonder that’s instantly recognizable. By contrast, Zimmer’s slow-building epic score in the trailer sounds like it could easily fit in any fantasy series.
HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Looks Too Polished — And It Might Hurt the Magic
The visuals matter a lot to make or break a fantasy-driven series or movie like Harry Potter. The first movie captures the magical spirit of J. K. Rowling’s fantastical world by transporting us into the story with a mix of stylized lighting, warm color palette, and the overall look and feel like every page of an illustrated storybook comes to life.
Considering the technology and the 25-year gap between the first movie and this upcoming series, the last thing we need is a new Harry Potter that looks generic. It somehow lacks the textural contrast, replaced by the digital sheen that’s too high-resolution for its own good. Not to mention the color grading looks muted, coupled with the curiously flat lighting, making the series from the trailer itself less magical.
The Uncanny Valley Vibe of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
It’s hard to deny that then-young Daniel Radcliffe, who was only 12 years old when the first Harry Potter debuted in November 2001. Hoping to recapture the same lightning in a bottle, the Harry Potter series follows the Daniel Radcliffe-like path by enlisting a fresh-faced newcomer to play the pivotal lead role. That newcomer in question is Dominic McLaughlin, who has a tough shoe to fill, not only as his first major acting role but also whether he could upstage or even match Radcliffe’s iconic role.
While McLaughlin’s overall appearance as Harry Potter looks book-accurate, I still can’t help but see him like he’s cosplaying as Daniel Radcliffe’s version of Harry Potter rather than putting his own stamp on his performance. Sure, it’s just a teaser trailer, but first impressions always count to determine whether McLaughlin can pull off his role just from a few scenes alone. As for now, his acting, based on the trailer, comes across as rather hollow.
Nick Frost’s Hagrid Voice Sounds Off in HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot
Personally, Nick Frost’s casting as Hagrid looks like he’s the right man for the job. However, upon watching the trailer during the train sequence with Hagrid talking to Harry, he lacks the character’s notably gruff voice that the late Robbie Coltrane perfected in his role in the movie series. Instead, Frost’s voice sounds somewhat subdued. But since we only hear a few lines from the trailer, here’s hoping Frost’s performance in the overall series manages to capture the essence of his character wholeheartedly.
Harry Potter Reboot Looks Like More of the Same — And That’s a Problem
The million-dollar question about the decision to turn Harry Potter into a series comes down to “Why bother remaking something already perfect in the movie series?” Unless the Harry Potter movie franchise was plagued by the likes of tonal inaccuracy, poor casting, and flimsy special effects, it’s perfectly understandable that a series is justifiable to course-correct whatever is wrong in the first place.
However, that’s not the case with the movie version, which is already iconic enough to leave it as it is. So far, the trailer looks like it’s a carbon copy of the beloved 2001 movie, complete with nearly identical scenes between the two of them from the arrival at Hogwarts to the overhead shot of the Sorting Hat ceremony. A fresh, visual reinterpretation would be a more welcoming approach as long as it doesn’t stray from the source material.
HBO Should Have Considered Adapting the Hogwarts Legacy Video Game Instead of Rebooting Harry Potter
Considering HBO is willing to spend a fortune per episode for the Harry Potter series, reportedly costing as much as $100 million, why not unearth other Harry Potter universe instead? For instance, Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. Games’ Hogwarts Legacy, which was first released in 2023 across various gaming platforms and consoles, is ripe for either a series or movie adaptation.
The story takes place in the late 1800s, way before the events of the original Harry Potter timeline, giving filmmakers more creative freedom to explore a fresh angle without worrying about the backlash of fan comparisons, unlike the one in the upcoming Harry Potter series.
Directed by Mark Mylod, the first season of the Harry Potter series – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – is currently dated on December 25, 2026, on HBO (US) and HBO Max (worldwide).
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