HBO showed the first teaser for the Harry Potter series and announced the approximate premiere date: Christmas 2026. Social networks and media outlets have been discussing this video for days. Everyone’s attention is predictably focused on Papa Master, who plays Severus Snape, but fans are also discussing other aspects of the teaser, such as the color palette, and echoes of the Warner Bros. film adaptations. And it’s not memorable music. We’ll tell you what people are saying about the new Harry Potter online.
Some are happy that the books will finally get an extended film version. Others complain about blurry visuals, dull music, and a fake feel.
Many users liked the teaser: the video received about three million likes On Instagram And 187 thousand On YouTubeIn the comments, fans of the series thanked HBO and wrote that they “can’t wait” for the premiere.
Some are happy that Potter will now have new fans. “The current generation will finally understand the magic of Harry Potter,” he writes. com.livitupwithrajeev Under the post with a teaser on the official page of the series on Instagram. Others can’t wait to finally see on the screen those many episodes from the novels that were not included in the films. Someone even Recognizedwho doesn’t like Warner Bros. movie adaptations. At all. – Precisely because the directors and screenwriters got rid of the important ones – and consider the series format more convenient.
However, as always happens with promotional campaigns for new projects based on popular franchises, the teaser also had detractors. The most common complaint is that the wizarding world feels fake. “Looks like a bad Saturday Night Live sketch.” Complain AidenCon92 at X. “Apparently people paid money to play Harry Potter in the group.” He writes virgovx_ibid.
Many were upset by the lack of originality of the project: outwardly, the world of Potter in the series, at first glance, differs little from the film adaptations of Warner Bros. “An almost identical boy in the exact same cupboard and house, the exact same Hogwarts with the exact same decorations, with the exact same Hagrid… It’s strange they took on new music.” shares Impressions of cultural journalist Sophia Snow on her Telegram channel. Below the teaser on YouTube is a comment from @crumblebee6728: “Someone on Reddit described this as a ‘live-action remake of a live-action movie’ and I can see why.”
Chris Columbus, director of the first two Potter films to speak In the same vein in August, when the first photos of Nick Frost as Hagrid appeared online: “This is the same costume we designed for Hagrid. I thought everything would be different in the new series.”
The color palette of the series was also criticized: users found it too dull. In the film series, the first ones were lighter and brighter, and the last ones, the most tragic and cruel, were darker and duller; Many were surprised that the HBO series seemed really dark in its first season. “This is what made the films interesting – the contrast between the first and last episodes, which reflects the maturity of the characters and the audience,” – Notifications @Ranger_67 in the comments on the video on YouTube.
However, this complaint is often directed at modern cinema, entertainment, and television in general. “I don’t know if it’s post-production or lighting/cameras, but why do 80% of modern films and TV series look like gray porridge?” — He writes asked.bushuk In the topic thread dedicated to the new Harry Potter.
Another common complaint is that the music is not expressive enough (compared to John Williams’ famous soundtrack). “Harry Potter” without [самой узнаваемой музыкальной темы фильмов] “The hedgehog theme is like a fur coat without a herring,” He believes Pianist Nikolai Kurdyumov Markosyan. Others respond by reminding us that Hans Zimmer, one of the most celebrated film composers of our time, who created the soundtracks for Pirates of the Caribbean, Interstellar, and Dune, is responsible for the music in the series, so we don’t have to worry about the soundtrack.
Everyone was discussing the dark-skinned Snape again
As expected, Paapa Essiedu got the most attention as Severus Snape – despite his character only appearing in the teaser for less than a second. Fans criticized the choice of a black actor to play one of Potter’s most famous characters a year ago, when HBO announced Essiedu’s participation in the series. This is the only notable departure from the book’s canon in casting, with the possible exception of the lanky Dudley Dursley (in the novels, Potter’s cousin was very stocky).
Shortly before the teaser was released, the actor I confessAnd after agreeing to the role, racists threatened to kill him; HBO CEO Casey Bloys He said In an interview, the company took these threats seriously and increased security measures on the filming site.
With the release of the teaser, the same arguments against Essiedu as last year were heard again on social networks. Some people think that the Potters, father and son, will be seen as racists in the new series because they hate Snape. “Everything turns upside down. James and his friends bully a black teenager, Lily makes a racist choice, and Harry says… [Снейпу]”You don’t have to call me ‘sir’ at all.” He writes Topics user grishqamd. “So Harry will suspect the one black teacher of wanting to steal the Philosopher’s Stone?” — Reasons @normalguy11.11 in the comments below the teaser on YouTube.
Others are unhappy that Essidu doesn’t look like Rowling’s description of Snape: in the novels, he has a “hooked nose and pale yellow skin.” “The fan community was predictably angry. There is nothing racist about this, because canon was violated.” He writes Fictional researcher Maria Steinman is on her Facebook page. “They clearly don’t want to abide by the law (and there are already 8 films they have complied with, why would they do it again?)” – Avoid By film critic Anton Dolin.
There were also those who did not like Essido’s outfit and hairstyle. It’s easier to see them in promotional images for the series than in the teaser: In the HBO series, Snape wears dreadlocks and a zip-up jacket under his robe. “Probably the first thing we know about Snape’s appearance is his greasy hair. They gave him dreadlocks…” Notes I was clear In topics. “A zip-up jacket excites me. Snape wouldn’t wear a zip-up jacket.” reverberation she has yunuyei.
Essiido’s defenders, in turn, recall that Alan Rickman was 54 years old when he was cast as the 31-year-old Snape in the first Harry Potter film. “I really don’t understand why 55-year-old Rickman playing a 31-year-old character isn’t wrong, but Black Snape is a terrifying horror movie.” He writes eifo_tal in topics. “He’s a conflicted young character, not a world-weary teacher.”
“The best Snap was and will always be Alan Rickman.” Reasons Writer Ivan Filippov in his Instagram post. “It is futile to try to find a similar representative; by definition, he will lose.” “So the idea of making Snap radically different, and putting it in a whole new category, is very smart.”
Filippov adds: It is worth noting that “Harry Potter” is the flagship project of HBO, where every decision is calculated. “If the studio decided to make such a decision, it means that there was a strict reason behind it. It is very likely that we will understand it when we see Essidu in this role, after all, it is not a coincidence that he has two at BAFTA and one at Emmy.”