Daniel Radcliffe Issues Request To Harry Potter Fans For HBO TV Reboot

3 weeks ago 18

Daniel Radcliffe looking up and worried in a Dutch angle with Ron and Hermione behind him in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Published Feb 17, 2026, 1:08 PM EST

Daniel Radcliffe is very excited for the Harry Potter TV reboot, but has one main request for fans ahead of time.

In the wake of the Fantastic Beasts franchise failing to gain the same traction as its predecessor, early development on a TV reboot of the J.K. Rowling novels began in late 2022, with Warner Bros. Discovery aiming to release the show over the course of a decade as a faithful translation. Succession vet Francesca Gardiner came onboard as showrunner in June 2024, with Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton announced in May 2025 to be playing Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Now, during the latest episode of ScreenRant's Debunking AI series, Radcliffe opened up about the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot. When presented with a supposed quote of his advice to the show's new young cast, the star not only confirmed the quote to be accurate, but also turned to reflecting on the initial announcement of the trio's casting, seeing people "around the world" calling on each other to "look after these kids."

Seeing this consistent messaging, Radcliffe found himself wanting to issue one request to Harry Potter fans, saying that "if everyone really means that" about protecting the new stars, "one of the things you can do for me is not ask about us — me, Emma, Rupert — all the time." Stating he would "like not to be weird spectral phantoms in these children's lives," he acknowledged that the show is "going to be a new thing" and asked for franchise fans to allow the kids to put their own stamp on the material.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron actors for the Harry Potter show smiling

His desire for viewers to separate his time with the character with that of McLaughlin's largely aligns with Radcliffe's various comments on the Harry Potter TV reboot. The two-time Emmy nominee has been nothing but supportive of the young new stars on the show, being intimately familiar with the slippery slope joining such a franchise at a young age can be. Radcliffe even penned a letter to the new stars, wishing them "a great time" and even wanting to give them a hug as he's realized the surreal nature of seeing someone pick up the role.

Radcliffe isn't the only actor in the past few years who have found themselves being asked for their thoughts on a new star taking over the role they had in their youth. Logan Lerman has been approached numerous times to discuss the Disney+ Percy Jackson reboot, sharing similar sentiments to the Harry Potter star as he expressed his hopes for Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries to have a great time. He's also frequently fielded questions about appearing in the Disney+ series in a new role, expressing an openness to returning, but also wanting to avoid taking the spotlight away from the new stars.

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While Radcliffe's observance of there being a lot of calls for support among franchise fans, the new Harry Potter cast hasn't been totally averse to criticism thus far. Both Stanton and Severus Snape actor Paapa Essiedu have been met with racist backlash since being cast, to which both original star Jason Isaacs and HBO star Nick Frost have stepped up in their defense. The aforementioned Percy Jackson reboot saw similar pushback with Jeffries' casting as Annabeth, only for her to score rave reviews upon the show's release.

More than just fans, however, Radcliffe's request for the Harry Potter reboot cast to make the characters their own also likely extends to when the young stars are doing press for the show. Interviews for reboots often come with questions about comparing a new actor's work to their predecessors, and with the HBO reboot stars likely already feeling the pressure of their iconic roles, not reminding them in every conversation will also go a long way in letting McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton embrace their roles fully.