Would Matthew Lewis Reprise His Role in Harry Potter Reboot Series?

With Some Thoughts and Concerns

Television

With the announcement of the new Max Harry Potter reboot series, many questions have been floating around regarding the show, such as who will play the trio and who will take on the roles of the iconic teachers. But, of course, there are those asking the previous cast if any of them wish to reprise their roles. 

In an exclusive article from People, Matthew Lewis (who portrayed Neville Longbottom in all eight Harry Potter films) was asked that very question. His reply was not surprising, given how much time has passed:  

“The reason I got into this job in the first place was because I have a very short attention span… I am very, very poor at maintaining anything for any length of time. I’ve had many, many hobbies and passions over the years. Not a single one do I still do. I fall madly in love with things and then almost immediately forget about them…  It’s not something I’m looking at or want to do but would not turn my nose up at… I’d be very interested to see if it was Neville as an adult — a whole different vibe. That could be interesting. I would certainly look at that and consider it… I’ve been a nurse, I’ve been a police officer, I’ve been a soldier, I’ve been a wizard, I’ve been all these different things… I never know what’s up next, and I love that.”

It would seem utterly foolish to have the original cast of students (most in their mid-to-late-thirties) in any way portray the same characters in a reboot of the series that starts at the very beginning. The only way any of them could be in a role should they choose is if they portrayed a teacher or a secondary character such as Nymphadora Tonks, for example. Or, as many fans have wished for throughout the decades, a series on the Marauders which would be comprised of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew—we can only hope, although no holding one’s breath on that…

Personally, I would not want any of the original cast, even the trio, to be involved in this upcoming project, as much as I enjoyed the films when they were released. This feels like a clean slate, and keeping fingers and toes crossed, a more loyal adaptation of the beloved books without having to leave out any key scenes, as happened in the movies. There was also the atrocious, cannon-bending Cursed Child play that utterly butchered major events from the books but carried the apparent “seal of approval” from JK Rowling herself. It begs the question, regardless of her involvement on this new series, will she actually keep true to her work in this sense? One could argue that, with the success of her crime series, Comoran Strike, both novels and show (which I can attest is quite good), there may be hope of keeping true to the source material. But in this day and age, it’s difficult to have any assurance that stories will be adapted faithfully. 

The Harry Potter reboot series is set to be released via streaming in 2026 on Max, formerly HBO Max.