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Christmas came early for Potterheads this week with the release of a new, 30-minute behind-the-scenes sneak peek episode titled Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic.
The documentary, released to HBO Max on Sunday, unveils details about the casting, costume design, special effects, sets and more.
The exclusive special is narrated by Nick Frost and features interviews with the artists, craftspeople and technicians—members of the casting, production design, costume design and creature effects teams—who are bringing the beloved books to life again for the small screen. Cast members John Lithgow, Janet McTeer and Paapa Essiedu make appearances.
New details are unveiled, like how showrunners found their Harry, Ron, and Hermione, how the lifelike animal animatronics were created, and the challenge of creating a true early-1990s wardrobe. For example, we learn that there were over 40,000 auditions for the show, and the show's owls are designed with about 36,000 feathers each and mimic real movements.
HBO Max's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, is currently being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K. and is set to debut on Christmas Day. Executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films, the show is reportedly meant to be grittier and include more of the book's details than the movies were able to.
Screenrant says the episode "proves the TV show's pros outweigh the cons" and "gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic." The massive sets that "go far deeper than the surface-level illusions we are used to" make it seem as if the cast is really within the Wizarding World, according to the publication.
See for yourself! Check out the trailer for the episode below:
