Chris Columbus Doesn’t Want to Join HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot, Calls J.K. Rowling Controversy ‘Very Sad’

Chris Columbus, the original director of the first two Harry Potter films, has made it clear that he has no interest in being involved with HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot.

Speaking with Variety in London while promoting Netflix’s Thursday Murder Club, Columbus explained that he feels he has already completed his work in the Wizarding World. “No, I’ve done it, you saw my version,” he said. “There’s nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter.”

Even though he won’t be returning to the franchise, Columbus expressed admiration for the new series and excitement for what it could achieve. He noted that the original films couldn’t include every scene or character from J.K. Rowling’s books.

Seeing the first photos of Nick Frost as Hagrid and newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter filming on the streets of London gave Columbus a strong sense of nostalgia.

“Because it was exactly where we were 20 years ago!” he said. He recalled shooting on Sundays with Radcliffe and Martin Bayfield standing in for Robbie Coltrane.

Columbus also spoke about Daniel Radcliffe’s growth both as a person and an actor. He described feeling immense pride at Radcliffe’s accomplishments, including his Tony Award-winning stage performances. Columbus shared that the production team learned valuable lessons from working with child actors, a practice he brought from directing Home Alone.

When it comes to J.K. Rowling, whose controversial statements about trans identity have drawn criticism, Columbus said he prefers to separate the art from the artist.

“I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that’s important to do,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, what’s happened. I certainly don’t agree with what she’s talking about. But it’s just sad, it’s very sad.”

In short, Columbus won’t join the HBO reboot because he feels his chapter in the Wizarding World is finished, but he supports the new series and hopes it can explore parts of the story the films couldn’t include. The comments were reported by Variety.

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