He doesn't feel the magic.
Emmy Award-nominated actor Jared Harris, whose late father Richard Harris played the original Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” films, is not excited about HBO's upcoming TV reboot of the franchise.
In a recent interview IndependentWhen Harris was asked if he would like to follow in his father's footsteps and play Dumbledore, he said, “No, thank you.”
He added, “Besides, I mean, why do it?”
“I don't understand. The films were great – leave them alone.”
Jared, 63, is an award-nominated actor known for “Mad Men,” “The Crown” and “Chernobyl.” His father, Richard, died of Hodgkin's disease in 2022 at age 72. Before his death, he played Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster and Harry's mentor, in the first two “Potter” films — “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
In subsequent films, Michael Gabom (who died in 2023) played the role.
However, Jared also said that the TV show can include “a lot of stories” that the movies don't.
The original eight films came out between 2001 and 2011.
In April, Max announced that a TV adaptation of the “Harry Potter” series would also be made.
“The stories from each of Rowling's Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series, produced with the same epic craft, love, and care that this global franchise is known for,” the platform said in its press release about the show.
“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fans through a journey filled with the stunning detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have come to love for over 25 years.”
Harris is the latest star connected to the “Potter” franchise to speak out about the show.
In May, original Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, 35, gave his opinion about the upcoming “Harry Potter” TV series.
As for whether he would appear in it, he told E! News, “I don't think so.”
“I think they very understandably want to make a clean break. And I don't know if anything we do will be effective in that.”
However, Radcliffe wasn’t completely against the idea of a TV show.
“I'm so happy to see it along with everybody else,” he said.
In July 2023, he told comicbook.com“My understanding is they're trying to start from scratch and I'm sure whoever's making them will want to put their own stamp on it and probably not try to figure out how to get the old Harry in for a cameo.”
When asked if he would like to appear on the show, he said, “I'm definitely not looking for it by any means.”
Despite the controversy surrounding her comments about the transgender community, author J.K. Rowling will be involved in the Max series.
In June, HBO announced that the planned “Harry Potter” TV series had found its showrunners and executive producers: “Succession” alumnus Francesca Gardiner (who will write and executive produce) and Mark Mylod (a “Game of Thrones” alumnus who will executive produce and direct several episodes).
Rowling took to X (formerly Twitter). Post He said he had “interviewed” both Gardiner and Mylod and was “thrilled to announce them as our director and writer.”
“They both have a genuine passion for #HarryPotter, and having read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm sure the TV show will live up to expectations,” Rowling said.
James and Oliver Phelps, who played mischievous twin brothers Fred and George Weasley in the films, were not as quick as Radcliffe to turn down the possibility of appearing in the show.
“I think that's the way it is. It's one of those things that never goes away in your life,” Oliver, 38, told The Post in July.
“Whether or not we'll appear on the show as our characters is a different matter altogether – we don't look like high school kids anymore! If that happens, we know as much as you do. But, it's great that there are so many interesting things to talk about around the show.”
“We have a really close relationship with a lot of the Potter cast,” James said. “Because it's like being friends in high school or college. You've been through a lot together.”
