The first trailer for HBO’s Harry Potter television series has been released, and fans are not too impressed.
The reboot of the iconic films, based on JK Rowling’s books, was announced in 2023 and immediately sparked a mix of anticipation and concern.
Many fans questioned the necessity of remaking a beloved franchise for television, while also pointing out the controversy surrounding the wizarding world’s creator.
However, after the young actors were revealed last year, excitement started to grow for how the series would take shape.
On Wednesday, the trailer was released, giving fans a new look at Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Snape.
It also heavily featured the show’s main trio: Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Harry, Hermione and Ron.
According to the trailer, the first season of the show will be titled the same as the book’s and film’s openers – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
It appears that, unlike the film, it will not be renamed to The Sorcerer’s Stone for US audiences.
The exact date of its release was not shared, though it will arrive on HBO Max around Christmas 2026.
The entire production is expected to take 10 years to complete in total, as the plan is to film a season to cover each of the seven books.
The trailer largely features what was shown in the films, with similar costumes and set designs.
However, there appear to be a couple of modernised changes for the series, such as Harry attending a ‘muggle’ school before Hogwarts and the wizard travelling with Hagrid on the London Underground.
In the wake of its release, fans have had mixed reactions, though criticism is largely falling on the colours and visuals of the series compared to the films.
One X user wrote: ‘Against all odds, I was fully unprepared for just how off-putting and uncomfortable this would be to watch.
‘Something about seeing such a classically-crafted, iconic film series translated into the aesthetics of a modern HBO prestige streamer show just feels uncanny valley wrong.’
Another shared: ‘They copied and pasted the movie, used a digital tool that makes every actor look more bland, reduced brightness by 75% and replaced the iconic score with generic slop. Brilliant work everyone.’
A third added: ‘That strange feeling of recognising that something is really well produced but at the same time has absolutely no life in it.’
Yet another commented: ‘Looks really well produced, the sets and costumes are great… but I feel zero magic. It’s missing that little spark. Maybe I’m just too nostalgic for the colour grading of the 2001 film.’
First trailer for the ‘HARRY POTTER’ series.
Releasing this Christmas on HBO. pic.twitter.com/X5PPZ3ME46
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 25, 2026
