HBO’s Harry Potter will delve into the nitty-gritty of J. K. Rowling’s universe; a luxury that the iconic big-screen adaptations were not afforded. This insight was recently elaborated on by Draco Malfoy star Lox Pratt, who spoke to 1883 Magazine about the reboot that’s set to premiere in around a year’s time. Split across eight episodes, Season 1 brings Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to life, hopefully followed by The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Akzaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and finally The Deathly Hallows to complete a planned seven-season saga.
Fresh from playing marooned school boy Jack in the new Lord of the Flies series, Pratt told the publication that fans will get to “see so much more than the books” throughout Potter, with character perspectives shifting six years earlier than expected.
“[The books] are very much over Harry’s shoulder, which is great, and that’s how they played the film as well. And I think [showrunners] Francesca [Gardiner] and Mark [Mylod] have been audible about this in their interviews, there’s just so much more that you get to see. You get to see all the teachers in their little rooms. You get to see Draco at home.”
The Malfoys-behind-closed-doors might sound like the least-funny sitcom ever made, but Pratt promises some dynamite expansion that’ll incorporate Draco’s relationship with his father, Lucius, who’s played in the show by Ripley actor Johnny Flynn. Fans of the books will know that these types of scenes only crop up in The Deathly Hallows, so HBO is consciously going against the norm here.
“I won’t spoil too much about that, but there are some brilliant scenes at home where you start to get an insight into how he is. I was grateful that we had the freedom to explore these characters, because in the films, Draco is sort of 2D. He is the sneery villain. I feel like there’s so much more — you need to understand why. And you see little glints of it in the film with Lucius and stuff.”
Who’s Playing the Hogwarts Teachers?
Ahead of this peek through the curtain at off-duty Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry teachers, we’d better remind ourselves of who’s playing them in the major network’s project. Arguably most important of all is the role of Harry’s mentor and school headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore — that honor goes to Dexter‘s John Lithgow, who, it must be said, looks a million dollars in his flowing costume.
Then there’s two-time Oscar-nominee Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall, the head of House Gryffindor; Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape, head of House Slytherin; Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrell (the Big Bad of Philosopher’s Stone); Nick Frost as lovable groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, and Paul Whitehouse as caretaker Argus Filch. They will each share scenes with Dominic McLaughlin’s Harry, Alastair Stout’s Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton’s Hermione Granger, the trio of students lodged in these magical adventures.
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
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Mark Mylod
