Daniel Radcliffe starred as Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of the series by JK Rowling. (Getty)
Following news that HBO Max are set to make a TV series based on the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, fans have been asking whether OG Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe will be appearing in the show.
During an interview with E!, Radcliffe was asked whether he would be open to making an appearance in the HBO series if asked, either as a cameo or as a series regular playing a professor or another authority figure.
“Like the rest of the world, [I’m] very excited to watch as an audience member,” he said, very diplomatically. But he doesn’t think he would star in the show: “[The show runners] very wisely want a clean break. I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”
So far, there is no indication that HBO have approached him to appear in the show, leading to Radcliffe saying that he didn’t want to “deal in hypotheticals”.
There is still a chance then that Radcliffe might change his mind if asked, but in 2023, he was very clear in saying that he wish the new show runners “all the luck in the world”.
“I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it,” he told ComicBook.com.
Radcliffe’s reluctance to appear in the new series comes amidst the ongoing saga of Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s divisive and controversial views about trans people and their rights. He, and his former co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, have distanced themselves from the author because of her comments.
JK Rowling has made headlines for her strong position on “biological women’s rights”. She initially came out in support of “gender critical” campaigner Maya Forstater in 2019.
Since then, Rowling has doubled-down on her views, regularly tweeting content that criticises inclusive language, trans rights, and the erasing of cisgender women.
In response, Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have reaffirmed their support of the trans community, with Radcliffe previously apologising on Rowling’s behalf and writing an essay about trans rights for the LGBTQ+ rights organisation The Trevor Project.
Radcliffe previously told The Atlantic that he was “really sad” at how his and Rowling’s views have diverged.
“Nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person,” he said, referring to Rowling, “But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe in to someone else for your entire life.”
What do we know about the Harry Potter HBO series so far?
The new series was first announced in April 2023 but no further details have been announced regarding a potential release date or who would be tapped to star in the show.
According to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, the series will be on air by 2026 though an exact date has not been confirmed and it doesn’t look like HBO have begun filming the series yet.
The series will be a deep dive into each of the seven Harry Potter books, with Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, saying that it would be “a faithful adaptation,” Deadline has reported.
Early reports suggest each season of the series will focus on one book in the series, but Bloys previously said the series will have 10 seasons, which seems to debunk that theory.
JK Rowling will serve as the executive producer on the series and her production company Brontë Film and TV will be producing it in collaboration with Warner Bros. Television.
Will other Harry Potter stars return for the HBO series?
None of the three original leads – Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint – are expected to appear in the series. Other famous names from the movies, such as Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton, Miriam Margoyles, Maggie Smith, and Gary Oldman, are not expected to return either.
New actors will be playing the series’ main characters, but no one has been cast yet.
“We have been trying to be very close to the vest. We haven’t gone out to agencies. We have our own internal process where we’ve been thinking about people but we have not wanted to go out into the world. Now that the news is out there…we’ll start going out to the business,” Bloys said.
Another popular name associated with the franchise, David Yates, is not expected to be part of the new show either. Yates directed the last four movies and the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, but said there has been no conversation about his involvement.
“Never say never, I would say, but I’m excited about moving on,” he told Deadline.