Featured MEdia
Supply Chains

HBO’s Harry Potter reboot is deep in production, and that means a new cast of witches, wizards, and alchemists are stepping into some very familiar shoes. One of those roles is Nicolas Flamel — and the actor who played him before has some wise words about passing the torch.

Brontis Jodorowsky, who portrayed the inventor of the Philosopher’s Stone in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, reacted on Instagram to the news that Lambert Wilson will take over as Flamel in the new series. His take was nice and respectful, although it sort of feels like he was trying to say he was fine with it before saying “but not really.”

“To those who wonder how I feel about it, I’ll say that, to convey the beautiful stories over time, characters have always traveled from one incarnation to another — as in a relay race, like the messengers in Ancient Greece. My best wishes to Lambert. That being said, for me, Harry Potter will forever have the features of Daniel Radcliffe.”

It’s certainly one way of saying what a lot of fans already feel. Stories evolve, casts change, but Radcliffe’s version of the Boy Who Lived still defines the magic for an entire generation. So no pressure on Dominic McLaughlin, or anything like that.

Who Is Nicolas Flamel?

Meanwhile, Wilson’s Flamel is reportedly getting a lot more screen time than before, with HBO expanding his backstory — including his relationship with his wife Perenelle and his ties to the wider Wizarding World. The idea is to make him more than just the mysterious immortal with a shiny stone. Wilson has been spotted filming scenes with John Lithgow‘s Albus Dumbledore, presumably showing when Dumbledore either first takes the stone into his possession, or visiting the Flamels later to inform them that it will need to be destroyed.

Lithgow himself has spoken at length about the role he’s taken on. Speaking earlier this year, he described Dumbledore as “the nuclear weapon” of the story:

“You know, Dumbledore is — he’s kind of the nuclear weapon. He only goes on very, very occasionally. I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard a job, and, we’ll just go back and forth.”

The legendary actor admitted the part came to him very suddenly.

“I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid. But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter.”

Harry Potter will arrive on HBO in 2027.