Credit: Warner Bros.Nick Frost could replace Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot…
Last year, beloved actor Robbie Coltrane, who was best known for portraying Hogwarts’ half-giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter films, sadly passed away. So, whoever ends up playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot, which will come in the form of a television series on HBO that’s said to be a “faithful adaptation” of the seven books, will be standing in the shadow of a giant.
Recently, it was rumored that the roles of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger had already been recast with Toby Woolf, Joshua Pickering, and Bronte Carmichael, respectively, however, it was later reported that Warner Bros. is preparing for an official casting call said to take place some time over the next several months.
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Many fans are speculating that Hermione Granger will be portrayed by a Black actress, with Eswatini-born actress Noma Dumezweni having played an older version of the Gryffindor student in the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016), a casting choice that put Wizarding World creator JK Rowling under the spotlight for seemingly trying to “virtue-signal” (oh, how things have changed since then where the author is concerned).
It is also rumored that Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore will also be played by a Black actor in the new film, as Warner Bros. is reportedly “making a concerted effort” to ensure that the Harry Potter reboot will have a more diverse cast than the films.
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So, it remains to be seen who will replace the likes of Michael Gambon, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, but we think there’s one star who would play a great Rubeus Hagrid. Improving upon what Robbie Coltrane did with the role of the lovable half-giant is impossible, but the casting of a new Hagrid is inevitable, and we hope that Warner Bros. have their sights set on British actor Nick Frost.
Frost, 51, is best known for the “rom-com-zom” Shaun of the Dead (2004) and its two anthological follow-ups Hot Fuzz (2007) and The World’s End (2013), all of which saw him star opposite Simon Pegg, who plays the late 1800s’ Hogwarts headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in the open-world Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy (2023).
Universal Pictures (International, through United International Pictures)
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Frost has also appeared in other films such as Paul (2011), The Adventures of Tin Tin (2011), and Tomb Raider (2018). While the actor doesn’t hold a candle to the late Robbie Coltrane (no offense, Frost — we love you, but we’re sure you get it), we think he’d make a brilliant Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot.
For starters, he’s very British, and, as you’ll remember from Hot Fuzz, his “country” accent is fantastic, meaning he’d be able to pick up Hagrid’s dialect with ease. But Nick wouldn’t just need to sport a great big bushy beard and an oversized coat — he’d also need to grow in size, using good, old fashioned movie magic, which transformed the the 6ft Coltrane into a 8ft-plus half-giant!
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We may never see Nick Frost play Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot, but whoever ends up playing the lovable gamekeeper, they’ll have some pretty big boots to fill.
For now, though, you can enjoy Simon Pegg’s tenure as a member of the faculty at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Hogwarts Legacy…
Along with Simon Pegg (Phineas Nigellus Black) and Luke Youngblood (Everett Clopton), the Hogwarts Legacy cast includes Sebastian Croft and Amelia Gething (the main character/Fifth Year student), Lesley Nicol (Deputy Head Professor Matilda Weasley), Kandace Caine (Divination Professor Onai), Sohm Kapila (Astronomy Professor Satyavati Shah), Asif Ali (Ravenclaw student Mahendra Pehlwaan), and Jason Anthony (Nearly Headless Nick and the Sorting Hat).
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As per the official Hogwarts Legacy website, here’s the synopsis for the game:
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
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Check out the official teaser for the Harry Potter reboot below:
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It was also recently announced that Hogwarts Legacy is already getting a follow-up in the form of brand-new game Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (TBA).
Hogwarts Legacy is on sale now. There’s currently no release date for HBO’s Harry Potter series or Quidditch Champions.
Would you like to see Nick Frost play Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!