Daniel Radcliffe has said that he does not want to appear in the upcoming television adaptation of the Harry Potter series.
The news of a version of J.K. Rowling’s book saga was first confirmed by HBO Max last April, with reports that each of the seven books will get its own season.
But now, Radcliffe, who played the eponymous wizard in the eight-film series from 2001 to 2011, has revealed that he does not think “it would work” for him to make an appearance in the new reboot.
Speaking to E!, he said: “Like the rest of the world, [I’m] very excited to watch as an audience member.”
But when asked if he would consider a cameo role, he replied, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”
He was coy about whether HBO Max had already approached him to be a part of the project, saying: “I’m going to be a politician about this and not deal in hypotheticals.”
“Your Hogwarts letter is here,” a tweet from the streaming company read when they first announced the series. “Max has ordered the first ever Harry Potter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books.”
In February, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav confirmed that the first instalment of the show will hit HBO Max in 2026.
“We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter,” Zaslav said. “We spent some real time with J.K. and her team. Both sides are just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max.”
Rowling is expected to be involved in the decision-making in the overall direction of the series, with her being listed as an executive producer. No casting has yet been announced.
Zaslav has also said that the series is likely to last “a decade”, adding: “My wife and I, we read [the Harry Potter books] to each of our three kids….It’s really moving, for 10 consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something”.
In recent years, Rowling has also attracted controversy for her views on the transgender community, having shared numerous statements condemned as transphobic.
In 2020, Harry Potter film star Daniel Radcliffe penned an essay in which he challenged Rowling’s views, stating that “transgender women are women” and “any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people”.
