Harry Potter fans won’t have to wait long to see Hogwarts in the HBO series.
The first Harry Potter book is being turned into an eight-part TV series that starts streaming on December 25th. Because it’s a longer format than the original movie, the show will have time to delve deeper into characters and stories that were left out of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and also introduce some new content. This expanded version is exciting, but it does make you wonder how and when all the famous moments from the book will be presented in the first season.
Adriano Goldman, the cinematographer for HBO’s Harry Potter series, recently spoke with Andre Pilli. He explained that the first episode doesn’t show Hogwarts until the very end. Most of the episode will take place in the Muggle world, and the creative team discussed whether to make this part of the story bright and lively or more somber.
According to Goldman, the upcoming Harry Potter series on HBO will feature Hogwarts in the very first episode, though the majority of that episode won’t take place there. While fans expected to see Hogwarts eventually, given its importance to the story, it will appear earlier than many predicted – at the end of the first episode.
Before we even see Hogwarts, the story begins with Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid leaving baby Harry with the Dursleys. Then we follow events like Dudley’s birthday, Harry receiving his acceptance letters to Hogwarts, the Dursleys’ attempts to avoid them, and finally Hagrid arriving to tell Harry he’s a wizard. This is followed by their trip to Diagon Alley, heading to Platform 9 & 3/4, and the train ride on the Hogwarts Express where Harry first meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Even with a one-hour first episode, it feels like a long wait to finally see Hogwarts. In the first movie, Harry and his friends first glimpse the castle around the 40-minute mark – about a quarter of the way through. The new HBO series won’t reach that point until an eighth of the way through its first season. Given that this adaptation is being promoted as a more detailed and expansive version of the story, it would be odd to quickly move past the initial events, especially since it has more time to tell them.
I’ve been thinking about how the new show could really shake things up by not showing Hogwarts through Harry’s eyes right away. Because it’s a TV series, they have the chance to show us so much more – Lox Pratt, who plays Draco, even said we’ll get to see the teachers in their offices and even get a glimpse into Draco’s home life! While seeing Hogwarts for the first time with Harry would be a really powerful way to end the first episode, it might not have the same impact if we experience it through someone else’s eyes first. It’s a risk, but could be amazing!
HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series has assembled a talented cast, including Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Tom Felton’s former co-star, John Lithgow, taking on the role of Albus Dumbledore. Paapa Essiedu will play Severus Snape, with Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Luke Thallon is cast as Quirinus Quirrell, while Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby portray Petunia and Vernon Dursley respectively, alongside Amos Kitson as Dudley.
HBO’s Harry Potter premieres on December 25 on HBO and HBO Max.
2026-07-19 17:10