The boy who lived will rise once more on Christmas Day 2026 as HBO Max reboots the story of orphaned wizard Harry Potter in an eight-episode opening sequence bearing the identify of the unique novel: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
And in case you’ve been dwelling in a cabinet beneath the steps –– the trailer has dropped.
The two-minute tidbit was launched on Wednesday forward of the launch of the HBO Max UK and Ireland streaming service on Thursday. (HBO, like NCS, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.) Although only a snippet of the saga forward, the trailer has already acquired muggles talking.
Here’s all the pieces we all know after watching the trailer:
Largely, the identical. Potterheads throughout the globe will immediately acknowledge Harry’s not-so-homely home on Privet Drive, his cramped excuse of a bed room and the infinite disdain oozing from the younger wizard’s unloving aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.
Envelopes inscribed with cursive textual content, baggage cart run-ups at London’s King’s Cross Station and sweeping panorama pictures glimpsed by means of a practice window are additionally more likely to get the hearts of diehard followers pounding.
But it’s the primary look contained in the enchanting Great Hall and on the all-knowing Sorting Hat that can ignite a fireplace within the bellies of all those that nonetheless test their mailbox each birthday, hoping for a summons from Hogwarts.
If there’s one factor HBO Max has thrown all the pieces at for the reimagining of this world, it’s the solid. Star-studded, after which some, the upcoming present boasts large of stage and display John Lithgow as Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Golden Globe winner Janet McTeer as stern however smart Professor Minerva McGonagall, and comedy stalwart Nick Frost as mild oaf Rubeus Hagrid.
Filling the capes of the trio audiences watched develop up will likely be Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The protagonists are largely newcomers with few prior appearing credit, however the trailer reveals kids full of all of the wild curiosity one may count on as they embark upon a magical journey.
Unlikely hero Professor Severus Snape will likely be performed by Paapa Essiedu, finest recognized for his function in 2020’s conversation-provoking comedy-drama sequence “I May Destroy You.” Images of Essiedu’s Snape already seem to seize the potions professor’s foreboding presence, however this casting has triggered a racist backlash on-line. Essiedu seems undeterred by the trolls, nonetheless, sharing the announcement of his casting on his Instagram page with the playful message, “We shall eat and we shall leave no crumbs. See you at Hogwarts. Professor Snape x.”
What are the variations between the flicks and the sequence?
Notably, the music. Many will recall listening to the paranormal “Hedwig’s Theme” composed by maestro of cinematic scores John Williams and understanding immediately they have been about to be transported to a world of magical beings.
That isn’t any extra. Instead, Oscar-winning German composer Hans Zimmer and his firm Bleeding Fingers Music will likely be on the helm.
Only slightly of the present has been shared thus far, however one thing more likely to unsettle lovers of the flicks is, merely, accepting a brand new era of actors in much-loved roles.
As one YouTube consumer put it beneath the official trailer, “It feels like seeing new people living in your old home.”
Like the movie sequence, HBO Max’s Harry Potter sequence is being primarily shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, simply north of London.
The first instalment will likely be launched on Christmas Day, and every of the sequence will likely be bookended by the start and the top of a faculty 12 months at Hogwarts. Actors signed on to the undertaking are dedicated for as much as 10 years.
While HBO has not confirmed how a lot it’s spending per episode, some stories recommend a value of $100 million per episode. If true, this may far exceed the price of the whole authentic movie sequence, on which Warner Bros. spent an estimated $1.2 billion, and can make this the most costly tv manufacturing of all time. NCS has reached out to HBO for remark.