Nick Frost’s Hagrid Reveal Sparks Fan Debate in New Harry Potter Series: “This Looks Terrible”

The first look at Nick Frost as Hagrid in HBO’s new Harry Potter series has stirred up a lot of reactions from fans. Warner Bros shared the image this week, showing the 53-year-old actor in full costume as the famous half-giant.

But not everyone is pleased. While some fans said they were “loving” Frost in the role, others thought his look was off, saying it felt more like “cosplaying” than the real thing.

The new series, now filming at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, is expected to run for around ten years. Each season will follow one of J.K. Rowling’s seven books.

The story starts with 11-year-old Harry Potter learning he’s a wizard and going to Hogwarts, where he faces the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

Nick Frost will play Hagrid, taking over the role from Robbie Coltrane, who played the character in all eight original films before he died in 2022 at age 72. Alongside Frost, newcomer Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter.

McLaughlin was picked after HBO held almost 30,000 auditions to find their lead actors, according to HBO. Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout has been chosen as Ron Weasley.

Other important characters are now cast too. Paapa Essiedu will play Severus Snape. Janet McTeer is taking the role of Professor McGonagall. And of course, Nick Frost is stepping into Hagrid’s giant shoes.

Even with all this excitement, the show hasn’t escaped controversy. Some fans have called for a boycott because of J.K. Rowling’s past comments about transgender people, which many view as offensive. Nick Frost spoke about this, telling fans in an interview that “my opinions don’t align in any way, shape or form with those of the franchise creator.”

Rowling herself recently commented on the series through a post on X. She said, “I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series and they are SO, SO, SO GOOD!” When someone asked her if she was writing the show, Rowling replied, “No, but I’ve worked closely with the extremely talented writers.”

Whether people are happy about Nick Frost’s look as Hagrid or not, HBO’s new version of Harry Potter is moving forward. Fans remain divided, but the series is now officially underway.

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