Daniel Radcliffe’s True Feelings About Recasting Harry Potter For Upcoming TV Show Revealed

Daniel Radcliffe has weighed in his opinion on the Harry Potter recasting for the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV show. The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most successful in the world, with the novels selling more than 600 million copies globally and the eight movie adaptations bringing in a total of $7.7 billion worldwide. Radcliffe rose to international stardom in 2001 when he portrayed the boy wizard in the movie adaptation of JK Rowling’s best-selling debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Radcliffe starred in all eight Harry Potter movie adaptations, making it difficult to imagine another actor portraying the titular character aside from him.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pete Hammond for the Deadline video series “The Actor’s Side,” Radcliffe discussed the iconic character Harry Potter, even envisioning a time when the character’s story would continue without him. Comparing the iconic nature of the character to the legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes, he spoke about how he views Harry as a character bigger than himself, who could be played by another actor. Read his full quote and watch the interview below:

“I don’t think— that’s the thing, that’s what’s interesting, I think Harry Potter was always destined to become like Sherlock Holmes. Or like the people who saw Basil Rathbone play Sherlock Holmes, would have been like, ‘No one else can ever do this.’ Well, you know, they’re gonna though. So it’ll get passed onto someone else. The weird thought I have now is there’s probably an eight-year-old kid out there somewhere whose life is going to change in a couple of years. My brain does go there… but I think the films continuing, or the series in this case, was pretty inevitable.”

How Will A New-Look Harry Potter Fare?

Harry Potter is one of the most iconic characters, so Radcliffe is correct that the mantle gets passed eventually. How the rebooted show and franchise will fare with a brand-new cast is questionable. One of the potential issues could be that not enough time has passed since the movies to warrant a reboot, and this might impact the way audiences view a new Harry Potter, especially since Radcliffe is so heavily associated with the role. However, this outcome was bound to happen, and if HBO wants to have a successful Harry Potter TV adaptation, they need to get their casting right.

Little is known about the direction the Harry Potter TV series might take, but there are talks that it will cover seven books over ten years. This gives a lot of scope for exploring the in-depth world Rowling created in the novels and to give a screen adaptation that is a little more faithful to the books. HBO will likely want a unique and original take on the Wizarding World, and the possibility of a Radcliffe cameo in the Harry Potter TV reboot has already been ruled out by the actor. It will be important for a new cast and crew to put their own flair on the iconic story.

Related: How Will Harry Potter’s Show Cover 7 Books In 10 Years?

There will be big shoes to fill, and when the new casting is announced, whoever takes over the role will need to endure comparisons with Radcliffe’s portrayal. The hope will be that whoever wins the part of the Boy Who Lived will be able to do the character justice while bringing their unique approach to the role. For the Harry Potter show to become a success, it will need to break from the legacy the movies created, and a brand-new cast is the best place to start.

Source: Deadline