Generations were brought up on the Harry Potter movies, as well as the novels, theme parks, stage plays, and video games. They’re regularly re-watched by fans with a HBO Max subscription, but there’s a new book to screen adaptation on the way with the upcoming TV version. Gary Oldman famously played Sirius Black in the movies, and recently said what we’ve all been thinking about the jump from film to TV.
What we know about the Harry Potter TV show is limited, but that’ll change when the first season debuts this December. Fans are curious to compare and constrast it to the films, and during an interview with EW Oldman spoke about why he thinks fans will be happy with the TV version. In his words:
We had to cut a lot, and still we could only get the films down to, like, three hours. I believe [the TV series is] gonna do it pretty much word for word, which I think as a viewer would be more satisfying.
Points were made. As Oldman put it, a ton of material from the books were cut for the Harry Potter movies in order to tell each story in just a few hours on the big screen. So purists who know the novels well may find the television version of Harry’s years in Hogwarts to be more satisfying. We’ll just have to wait and see how folks receive Season 1, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for the small screen.
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Hardcore Potter fans will recall how a number of characters and storylines were cut from the movies throughout the movie franchise’s years in theaters. Some examples include Winky the House Elf and Hermione’s S.P.E.W campaign, Harry’s ongoing friendship with Dobby, Ron’s brother Charlie, and Peeves the ghost. Luckily the latter has already been confirmed to appear in the TV version.
The same can also be said for the sparing way Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black was used throughout the films. The books feature way more of Harry’s relationship with his Godfather, which makes Sirius’ death in The Order of the Phoenix all the more devastating.
The pressure is definitely on for the Harry Potter TV show to deliver, especially since it’s already been the subject of a bunch of criticism. A number of fans are boycotting the series altogether thanks to J.K. Rowling’s ongoing comments about the transgender community. Then there are folks saying that the early footage too closely resembles the films; even director Chris Columbus criticized Hagrid’s look being identical to the films.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will debut December 25th on HBO as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We’ll just have to wait and see if fans find it more satisfying like Gary Oldman thinks.