Chris Columbus Slams HBO Harry Potter Reboot Over 'New Hagrid' Look

Chris Columbus is still not buying what HBO is selling with its Harry Potter reboot. After new shots of Nick Frost in full Hagrid gear hit the internet, the director of the first two Potter films chimed in again — and yeah, he thinks the new Hagrid looks a little too familiar.

Where Columbus stands on the reboot

Columbus, the American filmmaker who kicked off the movie franchise before Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates took it the rest of the way, is not involved in the series. He has said there is 'nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter.' He does back the idea of a reboot if it brings in major book material the films had to leave on the floor — which, to be fair, is a lot.

The Hagrid problem, according to Columbus

After the Hagrid photos made the rounds, Columbus spoke on The Rest is Entertainment podcast (as relayed by Variety) and did not love what he saw:

'So, I am seeing these photographs... and [Nick Frost is] wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid. Part of me was like: What is the point? 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.'

He did call it flattering that the team is basically reusing his Hagrid look, but also described the whole thing as 'sort of deja vu all over again.' Inside baseball note: studios love brand consistency, but if you are rebooting a world this iconic, repeating the wardrobe one-to-one is a choice.

Nick Frost is not trying to be Robbie Coltrane

Frost, from Shaun of the Dead, is stepping into Hagrid’s oversized boots and has already said he is not copying Robbie Coltrane. His take aims to make Hagrid 'funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike.' That is a smart lane to pick — the character has all of that baked in — but the costume discourse may drown that out for a minute.

What HBO is building here

• Production on the new Harry Potter series is underway with a fresh cast and crew.
• HBO is planning it as a 'decade-long' project, mirroring the marathon of the films.
• Episodes are expected to run about an hour.
• Each season will adapt one book, with the goal of restoring the big chunks the movies could not fit.
• Target timing: sometime in 2027 on HBO.
• Nick Frost plays Hagrid in this version.

Bottom line: if the series really digs into the book material the films skipped, Columbus might get the fidelity he wants — even if the silhouette of Hagrid looks straight out of 2001. The deja vu may be part of the point, but it also raises the obvious question: how different is different enough?