Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.
The first trailer for HBO's Harry Potter series is now out, and the footage shows fans a good look at many beloved characters, but one in particular poses a problem. Given how the Harry Potter movies make up one of the most popular film franchises of all time, adapting the story another time, even if in a different format, was always going to be a hard ask.
Fans have eight excellent movies to compare the upcoming HBO series to, and while the Harry Potter show does need to distance itself from what came before to prove it is a project worth investing time in, that will inevitably come with a few issues. One of those can be pinpointed already. HBO's Harry Potter has a great cast, but one character made me worry. The First Trailer For HBO's Harry Potter Series Is Mostly Great With the arrival of HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Warner Bros. Discovery made the most of it and released the first trailer for HBO's Harry Potter series at the streaming service's launch event for those regions. Additionally, instead of its expected release date of early 2027, the trailer ended with confirmation that Harry Potter season 1 debuts on Christmas 2026. That reveal was exciting, but not more than the footage itself. Hogwarts looks as gorgeous and magical as ever, the students' Quidditch uniforms are an improvement from the movies, and most of the characters shown in quick shots in the trailer look and sound great. That said, not everything can be perfect. When it comes to the cast, one character threw me off. Hagrid Feels Off In The HBO Harry Potter Series Trailer THE SORTING HAT · QUIZ Which Hogwarts House Are You In? Exclusive · Personality Quiz THE SORTING HAT — WHICH HARRY POTTER HOUSE WOULD YOU BE IN? The Sorting Hat Sees All Every witch and wizard who passes through the Great Hall is sorted by the qualities they hold most dear. Ten questions stand between you and your true house. Answer honestly — the Hat can tell when you’re lying. 🦁Gryffindor 🐍Slytherin 🦅Ravenclaw 🦡Hufflepuff PLACE THE HAT ON YOUR HEAD → QUESTION 1 / 10COURAGE 01You hear a strange noise coming from a forbidden corridor after curfew. What do you do?What calls to you in the dark? AGrab your wand and investigate immediately. Someone could be in trouble. BInvestigate quietly and alone. Knowledge of what’s hidden there could be very useful. CResearch the corridor first. There’s probably a reason it’s forbidden, and you want to know what. DTell a trusted friend and go together. Safety in numbers, and it’s no fun alone. NEXT → QUESTION 2 / 10AMBITION 02A professor offers you a rare opportunity, but accepting it means letting down a friend. What do you do?Ambition vs. loyalty — a timeless test. ATurn it down. Your friends come first, always. BTake it. Your friend would do the same, and opportunities like this don’t come twice. CFind a creative solution that lets you do both. There’s always another way if you think hard enough. DTalk to your friend honestly and figure it out together. Communication solves most things. NEXT → QUESTION 3 / 10KNOWLEDGE 03You find an ancient spellbook with powerful magic — some of it dangerous. How do you handle it?Power, wisdom, caution, or principle? ATurn it in to a professor. Dangerous magic shouldn’t be floating around. BKeep it hidden and study the useful parts. Knowledge is power, and this is a rare find. CRead every page carefully. Understanding dangerous magic is the best defense against it. DShare it with friends you trust. Something this important shouldn’t be one person’s secret. NEXT → QUESTION 4 / 10FAIRNESS 04A classmate is being bullied by someone more powerful. You barely know the victim. What do you do?What moves you to act? AStep in immediately, even if it means making an enemy. It’s the right thing to do. BFind a way to undermine the bully without putting yourself at risk. Be strategic. CReport it to a professor. The system exists for a reason — use it. DBefriend the victim afterwards. What they need most right now is someone in their corner. NEXT → QUESTION 5 / 10IDENTITY 05Which quality do you most want to be known for?What you value most reveals your deepest nature. ABravery. When things go wrong, I want to be the person who stands up. BResourcefulness. I want to be the person who always finds a way. CWisdom. I want to be the person who truly understands. DKindness. I want to be the person people trust completely. NEXT → QUESTION 6 / 10LEADERSHIP 06Your team is losing badly in a high-stakes competition. What’s your move?Pressure reveals character. ARally everyone with a bold speech and lead by example. Momentum is everything. BExploit the other team’s weakness. There’s always a gap if you’re watching closely enough. CPause and rethink the strategy entirely. Doing the same thing harder won’t work — you need a new plan. DFocus on keeping morale up. A team that trusts each other can come back from anything. NEXT → QUESTION 7 / 10MORALITY 07You catch a friend cheating on an important exam. What do you do?Rules, relationships, and right and wrong. AConfront them directly. If they’re your real friend, they can handle the truth. BSay nothing. It’s their risk to take, and reporting them gains you nothing. CStruggle with it, but ultimately the integrity of the exam matters. You report it anonymously. DTalk to them privately and offer to help them study instead. They clearly need support. NEXT → QUESTION 8 / 10FEAR 08What do you fear most?Your deepest fear says everything about your deepest values. ABeing a coward when it matters. Failing to act when someone needs me. BBeing ordinary. Living a life where I never reached my full potential. CBeing ignorant. Making decisions based on incomplete understanding. DBeing alone. Losing the people who matter most to me. NEXT → QUESTION 9 / 10LEGACY 09Centuries from now, how would you want to be remembered at Hogwarts?The portrait on the wall — what does it say? AAs someone who fought for what was right, no matter the personal cost. BAs someone who achieved greatness and left a lasting mark on the wizarding world. CAs someone who discovered something extraordinary — a truth no one else could see. DAs someone who was truly good — a person who made others’ lives better just by being there. NEXT → QUESTION 10 / 10THE SORTING 10The Sorting Hat whispers: “I see everything you are and everything you could become. Tell me — what matters to you above all else?”The final question. Answer from your soul. AThe courage to do what’s right, even when I’m terrified. I’d rather be brave for one moment than safe for a lifetime. BThe drive to become who I’m meant to be. I won’t settle, and I won’t apologize for wanting more. CThe pursuit of understanding. The truth is more beautiful and more important than comfort. DThe people I love and the bonds I’ve built. Everything else is just noise without the people beside you. THE HAT HAS DECIDED → THE SORTING HAT HAS SPOKEN YOU BELONG IN… 🦁 GRYFFINDOR “Where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.” You lead with your heart and your gut. When something is wrong, you can’t just stand there — you have to act, even when the odds are terrible and the smart move is to walk away. You’re the person people look to in a crisis, not because you’re fearless, but because you move forward when you’re afraid. Your moral compass is loud, your loyalty is fierce, and your courage can be reckless — but the world needs people like you.Watch out for: Recklessness, a hero complex, and leaping before you look🐍 SLYTHERIN “Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.” You have a vision for your life, and you’re not going to let politeness or convention stand in the way. You’re strategic, perceptive, and deeply ambitious — not necessarily for power itself, but for the freedom and influence that come with being exceptional. You read rooms, you play the long game, and you don’t waste energy on fights you can’t win. People underestimate your depth at their own risk.Watch out for: Isolation, ruthlessness, and mistaking cunning for wisdom🦅 RAVENCLAW “Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.” Your mind is your greatest asset, and you know it. You’re drawn to ideas, puzzles, and the kind of deep understanding that most people don’t have the patience for. You question everything — not to be difficult, but because accepting easy answers feels dishonest. You value originality, creativity, and intellectual independence. The library isn’t just a building to you — it’s a sanctuary.Watch out for: Overthinking, detachment, and valuing being right over being kind🦡 HUFFLEPUFF “Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil.” You are the heart of every group you belong to. You don’t need to be the hero of the story — you need the people in the story to be okay. Your loyalty isn’t performative; it’s bone-deep. You show up, you do the work, and you treat people with a decency that the wizarding world desperately needs more of. You’re not soft — you’re strong in the way that actually holds everything together.Watch out for: Being taken for granted, avoiding conflict, and forgetting your own needs↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ That character is none other than Hagrid, who was played by the late Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter movies, and who is now embodied by the excellent comedic actor Nick Frost. In terms of characterization, from behind, it looks like we are seeing the same Hagrid from the movies. However, when the camera pans towards his face, and he speaks, things change. The HBO Harry Potter series' Hagrid has a"cleaner" persona so far in comparison to his movie counterpart. While both versions of the character transmit the same warm energy, the film version seemed able to turn menacing when needed, while the TV show's take just brings about a sunny disposition that makes such a transformation hard to take seriously. Additionally, the raspy voice displayed by Coltrane as Hagrid is gone, with Frost's take on the character just sounding too squeaky clean. I understand that this is a new take on the source material, but if the characterization tries to get as close to the movie version of Hagrid as it did, then this departure ends up feeling too much. That said, this is only the first peek at Hagrid in HBO's Harry Potter series. Given how he should play a sizable role in season 1, there will be a lot of time with the character to get used to how he sounds. I have faith in Frost's skills, and his dynamic with Dominic McLaughlin's Harry already looks to be endearing, so Harry Potter should make it work. Harry Potter Like Follow Followed Adventure Family Fantasy Release Date 2026 - 2026 Showrunner Francisca Gardiner Directors Mark Mylod Cast See All Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Potter insights Get the newsletter for in-depth coverage of HBO's Harry Potter series — detailed casting and character analysis, thoughtful trailer dissections, and contextual breakdowns that help you understand creative choices, plus broader TV and film coverage. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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