HBOs Harry Potter The TV show is coming to the small screen in 2027, where film recording officially begins this week. We have already had a first glance in the form of Dominic McLaughlin’s Harry, and now another character has followed. Nick Frosts Hagrid has already made waves on the internet, but there is something important to keep in mind.
Of course we love all the original role crews in Harry PotteR -Film, including Maggie Smith (McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Snape), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and Original Hagrid Robbie Coltrane. Still, the fact is that in two years we have a fresh crop of famous faces in these same roles, such as PAAPA ESSIEDU (SNAPE), John Lithgow (Dumbledore), Nick Frost (Hagrid) and Janet McTeer (McGonagall).
Of course, the HBO Max version can never replace who came before, and it goes without saying that the new TV show is likely to feel completely different. While these are just assumptions at this point, the first look at Nick Frost’s Hagrid could certainly blur the line between the two in the worst way.
Is Hagrid in HBO Harry Potter TV show too much like the original movie version?
Obviously, McLaughlin’s Harry looks like a young Daniel Radcliffe has gone incredibly well (including with me), but the similarities in Hagrid’s past and present are a little more disturbing. Let’s realize it – we look at an aerial version of the original in this new snap. Of course, this may be hypocritical, but there is extra context with Nick Frost’s Hagrid.
In an interview with Collider, Frost previously confirmed that he “never” would try to be a version of Coltrane’s portrayal. “You get role crew because you want to bring something to it. While I really be aware of what was going ahead of me with regard to Robbie [Coltrane]’s amazing performance I will never try to be Robbie. I want to try to do something, not ‘different’, I think you should be respectful of the subject, but within that there is the opportunity for minutia, “he said.
With this in mind, I didn’t expect Hagrid’s physical appearance to be so similar? Character descriptions are expected to play according to the book’s rules, but that doesn’t mean the TV show should copy exactly what we saw in the film. Arabella Stanton (Hermione) and PAAPA ESSIEDU (SNAPE) ‘s castings are good examples of this, just as the role crew of Hit Broadway Play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
There is no doubt that I drive before I can go with my assessment here, but I think the physical equality is an obstacle rather than a help. Hagrid is arguably the most beloved adult character of the herd, so we get the highest expectations for him. Put an identical wig and a massive beard on him, and Frost is immediately lost in Coltrane’s Shadow. Obviously, the differences in Hagrid will come through in his personality, but is it enough of a difference? Is there enough of a reason to restart Harry Potter at all?
“I always read Hagrid as he is like a nice, lost, violent, funny, warm child. I think the beauty of being able to make a book a season means I get to explore it much more and I can’t wait. He’s funny! I want it to be funny and naughty and scared and protective and childish. That’s what I plan to do.”
