The trailer for the Harry Potter series is already dividing fans: “It has to try hard to justify its existence”

    'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' still. CREDIT: HBO

    The first trailer for the new Harry Potter television series has been released, and fans are already divided.

    • READ MORE: Every actor confirmed for HBO’s Harry Potter TV series

    The new show is set to premiere on HBO at the end of 2026 and is the latest adaptation of the J.K. Rowling book series phenomenon, and subsequent blockbuster film run.

    The young actors playing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger have been confirmed as Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, and others in the cast include John Lithgow (Professor Dumbledore), Nick Frost (Hagrid), Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), and Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch).

    Yesterday (Wednesday March 25), the first trailer for the series was released, and it already has members of the fanbase divided.

    The first season will be centred around the first book, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, and the new clip shows Harry being belittled by Aunt Petunia, before later meeting Hagrid, learning about what his late parents were like, and being invited to Hogwarts.

    One thing that has immediately stood out to fans is the striking similarities between the new HBO show and the iconic film series – with the costume, stage design and dialogue being noticeably similar to that of the 2001 movie.

    While some have shared praise for the show for so accurately capturing the charm of the films, many others have questioned why the series needed to be made if it was going to mirror the film in so many aspects.

    “It just feels so weird. There have been tons of remakes and reboots in my lifetime but I can’t think of one that looks quite so… uncanny,” one person wrote on Reddit. “The Harry Potter world is so distinct and iconic that it feels weird just redoing the story with what looks like even the same shots as the originals. It’s like they’ve literally just plastered new actors over the original.”

    “I don’t know how to explain it but this looks like a live action version of a live action movie,” someone else chimed in, while another user echoed the same sentiment, adding: “It looks well made, but it also just looks like the movies. Uncannily so, with some imagery and shots looking pretty near identical. Which then makes me wonder… what’s the point?”

    Others took issue with the casting, and suggested that it feels like a big ask for those in the series to be able to build upon, or even match, the performances from those in the film.

    “It will be very difficult to compete with the top-notch cast of the original films. Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, and so on. Harry Potter was a grand reunion of Britain’s best actors. Those are no small shoes to fill,” one person wrote, while some already started to question if Nick Frost was the right fit for Hagrid – particularly as he has less of a distinctive accent than Robbie Coltrane, who took on the role in the movies.

    “Ngl I think it’s got to really try hard to justify it’s existence,” one less-than-impressed fan shared in response to the trailer, while another agreed, writing: “This teaser is not escaping the ‘What’s The Fucking Point?’ allegations, I’m afraid…”

    Others, however, gave a warmer reception to the show and dismissed the rumours that the series is going to get a negative reception when it airs.

    “I have a feeling this will be the next thing people are convinced will fail, and then it’ll inevitably be absolutely massive,” one shared, while someone else commented: “A lot of it does feel like a repeat of the films but overall I’m liking the look and the cinematography. The British school look is pretty nostalgic for me. Nice to see that pretty much all of the characters are so instantly recognisable for who they are portraying.”

    Elsewhere, some have shared that while the trailer makes the series look similar to the 2001 film, the sheer fact that it is a television series will give the scriptwriters a chance to integrate new elements.

    “The trailer indicates it’s at least competently made. There’s also tons of material that couldn’t fit into the films,” one person said. “Harry Potter is a massive property and this will likely pull in a huge audience across curious millennials/Gen Z and younger audiences who may not have engaged with the originals which are ‘old’ movies now.”

    Find more responses below.