The OG Harry Potter Director Worries Series Will Be “More Of The Same”

With HBO’s Harry Potter series in the works, the original movie director has some thoughts. Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two films over two decades ago, discussed the upcoming TV adaptation while appearing on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast. It turns out, he has concerns about what he’s seen so far.

“More Of The Same”

Columbus shared on The Rest Is Entertainment that he’d seen photos of the Harry Potter series filming in London that gave him pause — specifically, the pictures of Nick Frost’s Hagrid. “He’s wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid. Part of me was like, ‘What’s the point?’” the director said. “I thought everything was going to be different, but it’s more of the same. It’s all going to be the same.”

While Columbus found it “very flattering” to see a Hagrid costume like the one they designed in the beginning, he was still torn. “Part of it is really exciting, so I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it,” he said. “Part of it is sort of deja vu all over again.”

Don’t blame FOMO for his doubts. Columbus stepped away from the films after directing the first two and working as a producer on the third. “I feel like I’ve done it … I’m really proud of those films, the first three that I was involved with, and I’m moving on,” he said.

Columbus recalled how intense it was to make the movies in a 2021 Hollywood Reporter interview. He said he was “emotionally and physically exhausted” after filming the first two and realized he couldn’t keep going. “I thought, ‘I can’t do another six, seven, eight years of this. My kids will grow up and I’ll never get to know them,’” he said.

The Old Vs. The New

Columbus isn’t the only person who worked on the Harry Potter movies who is conflicted about the TV adaptation. In 2021, when there were rumors about the series, Rupert Grint admitted it would be strange to see someone else play Ron Weasley. “I weirdly feel quite protective of that character,” he told Variety. “Even when I saw the stage shows, it was a very strange experience.”

Two years later, after the show was announced, Daniel Radcliffe seemed to feel more comfortable with passing along the role of Harry Potter. “Potter was always going to be something that carries on and on and on,” he told Deadline, adding that it was “sort of nice.”

Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, was even more enthusiastic when he spoke to Bustle in April 2025. He said he thought it was “fantastic” that HBO was making a Harry Potter series and looked forward to someday surprising “the new kid” playing Draco.