Daniel Radcliffe expressed joy that his young son can enjoy a new Harry Potter adaptation without seeing him as the lead character. The actor shared these thoughts on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert amid ongoing developments for HBO's upcoming series.
Daniel Radcliffe, known for portraying Harry Potter in the original film series, recently discussed the benefits of HBO's forthcoming TV reboot during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He stated he is 'delighted' that his son will have an alternative version to watch as he grows up. 'I'm actually delighted that if, when my kid grows up and is into Harry Potter he can watch a version that is not me,' Radcliffe said. 'I feel like watching it with your dad [playing Harry Potter] would be less cool, right? It would kind of take you out of it. So he'll be able to do that, it's lovely.'
Radcliffe highlighted another advantage: the new cast will field future Harry Potter-related questions in interviews, allowing him to step back. 'It means at some point there will be somebody else to answer all the Harry Potter questions, and I can pass that on to them, too,' he added. He has previously aimed to keep his role secret from his son to simply 'be his dad' and sent a congratulatory letter to the new Harry Potter actor, Dominic McLaughlin.
The actor compared the reboot to multiple iterations of characters like Spider-Man and Sherlock Holmes, expressing support for the fresh take. 'We've had three Spider-Mans in my lifetime, so far,' he noted. 'If you look at a character like Sherlock Holmes, there were always going to be many, many iterations. So I'm very happy to see it be passed on to somebody else and best of luck to all of them.'
HBO's Harry Potter series is set to debut in early 2027 with an eight-episode first season. Filming began last summer, featuring new scenes such as expanded views of Draco Malfoy's home life, diverging from the books' and movies' perspective 'over Harry's shoulder.' Confirmed cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, who will meet Nicolas Flamel; Richard Durden as Professor Binns for History of Magic lessons; and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, appearing in the first season ahead of his book and movie introduction.
Separately, a rumor from insider DanielRPK suggests Warner Bros. is considering Marvel actor Paul Bettany, known for voicing J.A.R.V.I.S. in Iron Man and playing Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, for the role of Voldemort. However, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy has denied involvement, telling The Times of London, 'I'm categorically not.' The series, executive produced by J.K. Rowling, has drawn attention due to her controversial views on transgender women, which Lithgow called 'ironic and inexplicable' while remaining attached, per The Hollywood Reporter. Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Voldemort in the original films sets a high bar, with other actors like Richard Bremmer and Christian Coulson having played the character in earlier forms.
