Harry Potter HBO reboot: Nick Frost promises fresh but respectful take on Hagrid — ‘not copying Coltrane’

Actor Nick Frost has spoken about taking on the role of Hagrid in HBO’s upcoming 'Harry Potter' TV series. In an interview with Collider, Frost paid tribute to Robbie Coltrane, who originally played the beloved Hogwarts groundskeeper in all eight of the franchise’s films.

Frost acknowledged Coltrane’s impact, saying he is “really aware of what went before” and described Coltrane’s performance as “amazing.” However, Frost made it clear that he has no plans to imitate the late actor. “I’m never going to copy his work,” he said firmly.

Instead, Frost aims to bring his own understanding of the character to the screen. “I always read Hagrid as he’s like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child,” he explained. “I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can’t wait.”

Frost’s take on Hagrid will balance respect for the original portrayal with room for subtle changes. “I’m going to try and do something, not ‘different,’” he added, “but within that, there’s scope for minutia.”

More about the Harry Potter HBO reboot show

The HBO series will adapt JK Rowling’s seven Harry Potter books, with each book serving as a full season. This format will allow for more depth and detail than the films, which often had to condense major parts of the stories.

Earlier, HBO also announced the three fresh faces they had casted for Harry, Ron and Hermoine - Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton.

The new series, led by showrunners Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, is expected to begin production soon. Fans will be eager to see how Frost reimagines one of the wizarding world’s most iconic characters.