HBO’s Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Photos Highlight Biggest Problem With TV Remake

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Almost 15 years after the Harry Potter movies finished, a new version of the beloved story is being created. This time, it’s coming to television as a series for HBO Max. The idea is to cover one of the books each season, allowing the creators more time to develop a complete adaptation and include details that weren’t in the films. While this sounds promising, some worry that the TV show will always be compared to the original movies, which are still incredibly popular. Recent pictures from the set of HBO’s Harry Potter series aren’t likely to ease those concerns.

The Wizarding World Direct account on X recently posted pictures and a short video showcasing the Hogwarts Express from the show. Many fans might mistake these images for behind-the-scenes footage from the films, as HBO’s version of the iconic train looks remarkably similar to the one seen in the movies. You can see the posts below:

The Hogwarts Express from the HARRY POTTER TV series has been spotted

— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) September 29, 2025

New video showing the Hogwarts Express from the HARRY POTTER TV series in detail

— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) September 29, 2025

Can HBO’s Harry Potter Stand Apart From the Movies?

With the first season of HBO’s Harry Potter series now being filmed, many pictures from the set have appeared online, and viewers have noticed how much it resembles the original movies. This isn’t just coming from fans; Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter films, recently expressed his disappointment that the TV show is using the exact same costume for Hagrid as he did in his movies. “I wondered what the purpose of making a new version was,” Columbus stated, explaining that he had expected HBO’s adaptation to be more distinct. He’d probably feel the same way about the seemingly unchanged Hogwarts Express.

To be fair to the TV show, things like costumes and the appearance of the Hogwarts Express were bound to be pretty similar to the movies. Since both the series and the films tell the same story, the show creators didn’t have a lot of room to change the visuals. Hagrid still needs to *look* like Hagrid. The Hogwarts Express still needs to look like the Hogwarts Express (and HBO’s version actually does look good). However, fans might wonder, like Chris Columbus did, “what’s the point?” This isn’t a reimagining like a new Batman or Spider-Man movie, where a director uses the original material as a starting point for something completely new. Viewers will likely see these Harry Potter images and feel like they’ve seen it all before, which makes people question why the series was made in the first place.

The Wizarding World, with its deep history and captivating mythology, offers a lot of potential for new stories. While previous attempts at spinoffs, like the Fantastic Beasts films, didn’t quite succeed, that doesn’t mean all spinoffs are doomed. It seems unwise to simply retell a story that’s already been wonderfully adapted when the franchise could be used to launch completely new, unexpected tales that fans haven’t seen before. It makes sense that HBO and Warner Bros. want to continue the Harry Potter franchise, but revisiting old ground isn’t the only way to do it. There are other, more creative options available.

The Harry Potter TV show isn’t necessarily going to fail. It definitely faces some challenges, but it still has a good chance of becoming a successful adaptation. The creative team is limited in what they can do to make the show look different without changing the original story too much, so it will need to excel in its storytelling. The biggest benefit of being a TV series is that it has more time to develop the story. The novels won’t need to be shortened to fit a movie’s length. Photos from the set have shown that the show will include a significant scene with Vernon Dursley that the films left out, proving that the HBO remake will be a more accurate adaptation. By fully utilizing the TV format, the characters, storylines, and the magical world can be explored in greater detail, creating a richer and more engaging experience.

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2025-09-30 19:50