The return of Harry Potter to the screen is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched television projects of the coming years. The new series based on J.K. Rowling's novels for HBO has generated great anticipation among readers, especially due to a promise that is being repeated in every interview: it will be a very faithful adaptation of the books and with considerably more detail than the films.
This idea didn't come from just anywhere. It's being championed by Warwick Davis , one of the most recognizable faces from the original saga, who has confirmed he will once again play Professor Filius Flitwick. The actor insists that the creative team is revisiting the novels carefully , taking advantage of the series format to cover storylines, characters, and moments that the films left out due to time constraints.
An adaptation designed to be faithful to the books
In several interviews with Times Radio , the British actor has revealed that the screenplays he's working on are conceived as " very faithful adaptations of the book , " emphasizing that the intention is not to reinvent the story, but to translate it almost down to the last detail. He explains that the goal is to retell the same stories with more depth and nuance than what was seen in the eight films released in theaters.
Davis describes the project as an opportunity to explore aspects of the Hogwarts universe that were compressed in the films. The series structure, with episodes ranging from 40 minutes to an hour, allows for a deeper exploration of secondary characters, internal conflicts, and subplots that readers know well but that never had much screen time.
One of the key details that has been hinted at is that each season will cover an entire book . According to what has been leaked so far, this translates to around eight episodes per year at Hogwarts, which allows ample time to respect the pacing of the novels, from classes and daily life in the castle to the darker plots that gain prominence as the years go by.
Davis himself insists that this is not an empty nostalgia operation, but an attempt to offer the “definitive experience” for those who grew up with the books and were left with the feeling that many essential parts were left out in the leap to film.
Warwick Davis, the link between the films and the new series
Within the cast, Warwick Davis has an almost symbolic role. He will be the only actor to reprise his role in both the films and the television series, which puts him in a unique position to compare the two approaches. In the original saga, he played Professor Flitwick from "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" onward, and also portrayed a Gringotts Bank goblin, in addition to voicing Griphook in the early days of the franchise.
In the new series, however, his role will focus exclusively on Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor . The role of Griphook (or Grampo, according to some translations and articles) will be taken over by Leigh Gill , a decision that is part of a general cast redesign to differentiate this adaptation from the film cast that became world-famous.
Davis himself has acknowledged that it feels unusual to return to the same universe with a different artistic team, but still playing a character who has been with him for so many years. For the actor, reprising his role as Flitwick is a way to connect two distinct eras of the wizarding world , a bridge between those who discovered the story in film and those who will now experience it in series format.
His perspective also highlights the shift in tone that the new format will allow. Based on his experience, Davis points out that this time there's time to let the scenes breathe and better develop the relationships between students and teachers, something that, he acknowledges, was often sacrificed when each book had to be condensed into just over two hours of footage.
Back to Leavesden Studios: Same Hogwarts, Another Story
One of the most striking things the actor has mentioned is the filming location. Production is taking place at Leavesden Studios in the UK , the same studios where the eight films of the original saga were shot. For someone who spent a good part of his career on those sets, returning to those studios has a strong sense of déjà vu that's hard to ignore.
Davis acknowledges that it's " being back in the same studios ," doing everything again. He explains that, although it's a new version, there are moments on set that feel very familiar: scenes reminiscent of others he filmed more than a decade ago, corridors leading to the same spaces, and an atmosphere that, despite the cast changes, remains unmistakably Hogwarts.
The actor explains that, as actors, they encounter situations almost identical to those they experienced in the films , but this time with scripts that focus more on the details. In his words, it's like reliving the same story from a different perspective, with more composure and an approach that prioritizes fidelity to the original text.
This return to Leavesden also reinforces the franchise's continued status as a major European and British production, maintaining filming in the UK that mobilizes significant technical, artistic, and labor resources . For the European audiovisual industry, the Harry Potter series thus becomes one of the most ambitious projects of the coming years.
A series with more time, more storylines, and more detail
Beyond nostalgia, the strongest argument in favor of the new project lies in the format itself. A series offers something that films never had: enough time to develop everything contained in the books . This means being able to more fully explore the stories of secondary characters, the nuances of life at Hogwarts, and the plot lines that, due to sheer time constraints, were left out in the past.
For years, a segment of the fandom has pointed out scenes, relationships, and subplots that disappeared or were significantly altered in the film adaptations. Warwick Davis's recent statements suggest that HBO and the creative team intend to recapture that narrative richness without forcing new plot twists or radical rewrites.
By dividing the story into several seasons, the team can afford more leisurely episodes, focusing on classes, life in the houses, conversations in the Common Room, or the conflicts that develop from book to book . This approach aligns with what many readers have been asking for for years: an adaptation that not only respects the big moments but also the small details that add depth to the wizarding world.
For European and Spanish audiences, accustomed to seeing the original saga in cinemas and revisiting it now on platforms, this change of pace may represent a different way of "returning to Hogwarts" : less dependent on the big, one-off spectacle and more focused on accompanying the characters throughout their growth, year by year.
Current context: controversies, cast and release date
The series' release comes at a time of controversy. J.K. Rowling 's name has long been at the center of public debate, especially in the UK, due to her critical stances toward the trans community . This context has provoked reactions within the British audiovisual industry, where more than 400 professionals signed a letter demanding a clear position in defense of trans rights.
Among those who supported the initiative is Paapa Essiedu , the British actor who will be part of the cast of the new series as Professor Snape, a key character in both the books and the films. His involvement in the project, along with his participation in the letter, illustrates the tension between the cultural weight of the franchise and current discussions about representation and rights on and off screen.
On the production side, the series is being driven by HBO (HBO Max in Europe) , with names like Mark Mylod and Francesca Gardiner attached to the creative team, figures known for their work on other major, prestigious series. Warwick Davis, for his part, has made it clear that he is already actively working on filming , although he admits that he cannot reveal much beyond the promise of faithfulness to the novels.
As for the timeline, everything points to the new Harry Potter film hitting screens around 2027. There's no trailer or official promotional images released yet, and much of the cast is still being announced gradually, but the actor's statements help to define the overall tone of the project: an ambitious update, aiming to become the definitive reference for those who want to see the books adapted almost page by page.
With all these elements on the table—the return to Leavesden, Warwick Davis's comeback as Flitwick, a new European cast led by actors like Paapa Essiedu, and the declared commitment to a Harry Potter series very faithful to the books—what's taking shape is an adaptation that seeks to balance respect for the original material , sensitivity to the current context, and a clever use of the episodic format. Time will tell if it lives up to all its promises, but it's already shaping up to be one of the most important productions on the international television scene in the coming years.
