Harry Potter director Chris Columbus has confirmed that he will not return for the upcoming HBO series adaptation of the wizarding world. Columbus, who directed the first two films of the franchise, explained in an interview with Variety that he feels his work on the original films is complete. “No, I’ve done it; you saw my version,” he said. “There’s nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter.”
Despite stepping away, Columbus expressed support for the new series. He hopes the show will explore parts of the books that didn’t make it into the films. “With the first, second, and third books, we wanted to do it all,” he said. “We just didn’t have time to develop the characters fully or include all the details.”
Columbus also shared a nostalgic moment while seeing actors Dominic McLaughlin and Nick Rost in costume as Harry and Hagrid. He said it gave him a “déjà vu” because it felt just like 20 years ago when he was shooting with Daniel Radcliffe and a stand-in for Robbie Coltrane.
The Harry Potter series is currently in production in England, and the first season is expected to stream in 2027. Columbus’ absence won’t stop fans from revisiting the magic, now with a chance to see new details and moments from the books brought to life.