HBO's upcoming reboot of the Harry Potter franchise has assembled an impressive cast. There's been the odd divisive pick, but everyone seemed to have responded well to the notion of Shaun of the Dead and Truth Seekers star Nick Frost being cast as Hagrid.
The British actor follows in the footsteps of the late, great Robbie Coltrane, and seeing how Frost brings Hogwarts' gamekeeper and groundskeeper to life promises to be a lot of fun for fans.
Screen Rant recently spoke with Frost, learning more about how he's approaching his first Harry Potter role, what he's seen of this small screen take on the franchise, and why the creative team was a big part of what drew him to the Wizarding World.
"Look, I'm a dad myself, so I am going to be very protective to the children, and I think that is Hagrid's — one of the kind of baselines of his relationship with those children," the actor shared. "He's very protective of them, and I honestly can't wait."
"I've had the opportunity to go and see some sets, and they're growing a Hagrid beard, and I'm seeing the Sorting Hat, and here are some wands. It's absolutely amazing," Frost teased. "Getting the chance to start to learn Francesca's script and hanging out with [director] Mark Mylod — that's the reason I wanted to do it in the first place — to get to retell and to be Hagrid. I get a chance to be Hagrid. It is amazing."
In a separate interview with Collider, he said, "While I'm really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie's amazing performance, I'm never going to try and be Robbie. I'm going to try and do something, not 'different,' I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there's scope for minutia."
"I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can't wait," Frost continued. "He's funny! I want it to be funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike. That's what I'm planning on doing."
He also confirmed that a single season is likely to take "ten or eleven months" to shoot, meaning Harry Potter's cast will be devoting a lot of time to this reboot in the coming years.
The movies did a great job adapting Hagrid's biggest moments from the books, so it should be interesting to discover how the Harry Potter TV series expands on those and the character. Hagrid's a fan favourite on the page and screen, so the pressure is on Frost to deliver. Something tells us he'll do so.
We recently learned that Dominic McLaughlin has been cast in the role of Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Harry Potter's adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore; Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall; Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape; Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid; Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell; and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling and will feature an exciting and talented cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years.
Exploring every corner of the wizarding world, each season will bring Harry Potter and its incredible adventures to new and existing audiences and will stream exclusively on HBO Max where it’s available globally, including upcoming markets such as Turkey, the UK, Germany, and Italy, among others.
The series is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
The new Harry Potter TV series is expected to premiere on HBO next year.