Announcements for HBO's Harry Potter TV series remake have been hurtling towards us faster than the golden snitch, with Warwick Davis being the latest face to join the cast. But haven't we seen him somewhere before? Oh yes, as Professor Flitwick in the original Harry Potter movies.
The main cast has been fully announced as filming begins in London, and Davis is the only returning actor from the original run. Season 1 won't be with us until some point in 2027, meaning if he's in the entire adaptation, Davis has essentially dropped his suitcases off at Hogwarts for another decade of his life. No public statement has been given by the actor yet, but obviously, this is a loaded move from the studio.
As first-looks at the cast on location in their wizarding Gladrags look completely identical to the films, many fans have been left wondering what the point of rebooting the franchise is. Now Davis is on board, that argument is now as solid as cement, and I feel like I've lost my mind (as well as wavering on my HBO Max subscription).
Warwick Davis returning to Harry Potter series proves HBO doesn't know what it's doing
Let me just say what we're all thinking: why? Why is HBO remaking a well-known IP only to bring back former members of the cast? Why has only one actor been brought back, and not more? Why is the TV show so far looking shot-for-shot like what we've already seen?
I'm more baffled than Ron in McGonagall's class, and I've got a feeling I'm only at the tip of the iceberg of annoyance. However, fans seem more split generally. Taking to X/Twitter, one replied to the announcement: "What is the point of this reboot if we are bringing back actors?" Another disagreed: "This makes sense because he’s iconic in the role, keeping continuity and authenticity for fans."
On the one hand, I understand that Davis reprising his role means Flitwick's portrayal is handled with total grace and sensitivity, but if the TV reboot is opening the door to (mostly) fresh talent, perhaps it would have been wise to make that the pinnacle of continuity instead. Casting an unknown actor with dwarfism as Flitwick is surely as much of a win for HBO as it is for us (or as you'll see below, they've already got the perfect person for the job).
There's another part to this that's bothering me. Flitwick wasn't the only role Davis played the first time around, also taking on the role of the goblin bank teller and Griphook, the goblin in charge of Gringotts. While we don't know who will play the bank tellers, Leigh Gill has been recast as Griphook. Surely, if you're bringing back Davis at all, bring him back for all the roles he played.
It's this erratic decision-making that is the final nail in the coffin for me. I couldn't get on board with Nick Frost's comments about tackling Hagrid, I couldn't understand why sweet Dominic McLaughlin was being made in Daniel Radcliffe's image, and I couldn't figure out why some of my favorite actors were choosing to align themselves with such a polarizing and controversial project.
It would be better for us all if the Harry Potter TV show was canned and some insufferable reality TV equivalent was made for HBO Max instead, but we're too far gone for that. I can't see how Davis (as brilliant as he is, by the way) can bridge the gap between old and new worlds successfully, given that should be their own separate beings anyway.
If Ralph Finnes ends up being our secret Voldemort, I'd genuinely watch in the hope dark magic wins this time around instead.
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