Original 'Harry Potter' Movie Director Chris Columbus Doesn't Want to Be Involved in TV Reboot, Addresses J.K. Rowling Controversies

Chris Columbus does not want to be involved in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot.

The director, who helmed the first two Harry Potter movies and was a producer on the third film, says he is no longer interested in returning to the franchise.

“No, I’ve done it, you saw my version,” he said to Variety while in London to promoting Thursday Murder Club.

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“There’s nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter.”

He added that he’s not opposed to rebooting the franchise for TV.

“The great thing about it is that with the first and second and third book, we wanted to do it all. We wanted to bring all of that onto the screen, and we didn’t have the opportunity,” he went on.

For example, he cited Peeves, a character from the first Harry Potter book that “never made it into the film.”

“We just didn’t have time to develop the character,” he said. He also referred to a storyline involving Harry and Hermione having to drink potions and worrying they may be poisoned.

“We could never get that incredible scene into the film, and I’m sure it’ll be in the HBO series. So for me, it’s an opportunity to bring all those scenes to life,” he reflected.

Chris also admitted he had a “deja vu” moment seeing Nick Frost as Hagrid and Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter while filming in London.

“Because it was exactly where we were 20 years ago!” he noted. “We had to shoot it on a Sunday with Dan (Radcliffe) and Martin Bayfield, who stood in for Robbie Coltrane.”

As for Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and her ongoing anti-trans rhetoric, he said: “I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that’s important to do. It’s unfortunate, what’s happened. I certainly don’t agree with what she’s talking about. But it’s just sad, it’s very sad.”

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