Credit: HBOHBO is preparing Harry Potter fans for a different trip back to Hogwarts. Now, one of the franchise’s most recognizable pieces of movie history is getting replaced.
New promotional material for HBO’s Harry Potter reboot has revealed redesigned wands for five major characters. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Neville Longbottom will carry wands that differ from the movie versions.
Some changes are subtle. Others are impossible to miss.
That could make these designs controversial. The original Harry Potter wands became more than props. Fans bought replicas and associated specific designs with their favorite characters.
HBO is erasing that visual continuity and starting again. Here’s what the new wands look like.
Neville Longbottom Gets Perhaps the Biggest Wand Makeover
Neville’s new wand may generate the strongest reactions.
Neville’s HBO wand looks dramatically different from its movie counterpart. Rather than the polished appearance fans may remember, the reboot version has a natural look. It resembles a thin tree branch, giving it an intentionally simple appearance.
Neville begins his Hogwarts years using a wand inherited from his father. Unlike several other important wands in the franchise, its exact wood, length, and core have never been established.
That gives HBO considerable interpretive freedom while abandoning another design that fans have known for decades.
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Draco Malfoy’s Wand Gets a Much Lighter Look
Draco Malfoy’s redesigned wand takes another noticeable departure from the movies.
The new version has a much lighter, creamy-brown appearance. That coloring better reflects the hawthorn wood used to create Draco’s wand. The wand measures roughly 25 centimeters and contains a unicorn hair core.
HBO still appears to be keeping the wand clean and refined, which makes sense for Draco and the wealthy Malfoy family.
But Lox Pratt’s Draco won’t carry the same recognizable wand associated with Tom Felton’s character. It’s another reminder that HBO isn’t simply recreating the movies with new faces.
Ron Weasley’s Wand Barely Resembles the Movie Version
Ron’s redesign pushes things even further.
His first wand belonged to his older brother Charlie Weasley. It is made of ash and contains a unicorn-hair core, fitting the early story in which Ron relies on hand-me-down possessions.
HBO’s version appears considerably lighter than the original movie wand. The handle also features markings and indentations that give it a more wood-like appearance.
Ron’s is among the clearest examples of HBO establishing its own visual identity.
That choice could divide fans. Creating something new makes sense for a reboot, but the old designs have become inseparable from Harry Potter merchandise and imagery.
Hermione Granger Keeps One Familiar Detail
Hermione’s wand might be easier for longtime fans to accept.
Her 27-centimeter vine wand contains a dragon heartstring core. HBO has retained the twisting, vine-inspired details that defined Hermione’s movie wand, although the reboot gives the new version a noticeably darker finish.
The wand still feels connected to the character’s established imagery without copying the previous design.
Arabella Stanton will inherit the role from Emma Watson, so the familiar-looking wand now belongs to a completely new Hermione.
Harry Potter’s Famous Wand Has Been Reworked
Then there’s the wand that matters most.
Harry’s 28-centimeter holly wand contains a phoenix feather core. That feather comes from the same phoenix that supplied the core inside Voldemort’s wand, creating an important magical connection.
HBO hasn’t completely reinvented Harry’s design. The coloring and shape remain relatively familiar, but the reboot version looks smoother and more polished than the movie wand.
Dominic McLaughlin’s Harry gets something recognizable without carrying a direct copy of Daniel Radcliffe’s wand.
That sums up HBO’s challenge: create something fresh without making the Wizarding World feel unfamiliar.
HBO Is Rebuilding Harry Potter From the Ground Up
The redesigned wands arrive as HBO prepares to launch its new Harry Potter series on December 25, 2026. Season 1 will consist of eight episodes and adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, giving the story more screen time than the original movie adaptation.
Dominic McLaughlin leads the cast as Harry, with Alastair Stout playing Ron and Arabella Stanton portraying Hermione. Lox Pratt plays Draco Malfoy, while Rory Wilmot takes over as Neville Longbottom.
The adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Those casting choices already guaranteed that Hogwarts would look different. The new wands show that HBO wants the rest of the Wizarding World to look different, too.
Harry Potter Fans Are Getting a New Visual Era
Replacing beloved designs was always going to be one of HBO’s biggest risks.
For an entire generation, the original Harry Potter movies established what these characters, locations, costumes, and magical objects looked like. Even fans who discovered the books first often picture the movie imagery.
HBO now has to convince viewers to accept another version.
The redesigned wands are an early test. Hermione and Harry retain traces of what came before, while Ron, Draco, and Neville move further away from their movie counterparts.
Whether fans embrace those changes remains to be seen. But ahead of the December 25 premiere, HBO clearly isn’t treating the original movie designs as untouchable.
This new Harry Potter is building its own Hogwarts, right down to the wands its students carry.
