Chris Columbus directed 2001’s The Sorcerer’s Stone and 2002’s The Chamber of Secrets
Robbie Coltrane played Hagrid, the iconic Hogwarts groundskeeper, in the Harry Potter films
Nick Frost is playing Hagrid in the forthcoming reboot TV series
The Harry Potter reboot is one of the most talked-about upcoming shows. The makers have been revealing the cast, which has added to the excitement. The series is written and executive-produced by Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod directing several episodes. HBO, in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television, has produced it.
Director Chris Columbus, the man behind the franchise, has slammed the reboot after seeing Nick Frost's pics as Hagrid in the original costume design. He feels it's “more of the same”.
Chris Columbus on Harry Potter reboot
In a conversation with The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Columbus said he saw set photos of Nick Frost as Hagrid and noticed the same detail as the original.
“So, I’m seeing these photographs… and Nick Frost is wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid. Part of me was like: What’s the point?” Columbus said. “I thought the costumes and everything was going to be different, but it is more of the same. It is all going to be the same.”
The late Robbie Coltrane played Hagrid in The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and The Chamber of Secrets (2002). Columbus said that the pics were both flattering and unsettling. “It is very flattering for me, because I’m like, that’s exactly the Hagrid costume that we designed,” he added.
Here's why Columbus is not part of the reboot
Earlier in an interview with Variety, Columbus made it clear that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts. “I’ve done it, you saw my version… There’s nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter,” he said.
“Jealous? No. It’s time to move on. I’ve always had issues with the idea of franchise. I feel like I’ve done it… I’m really proud of those films, the first three that I was involved with, and I’m moving on," he said on the podcast.
On playing Hagrid, Frost told Collider earlier this year that he is "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". He called Hagrid “a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child,” and said that the TV format will allow him to explore more sides of the iconic character.
