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Harry Potter legend reveals experience reprising classic film role for new TV series
Warwick Davis is returning to the role of Professor Filius Flitwick.
Warner Bros
- Jo Berry
Published: Friday, 25 September 2026 at 11:15 am
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Star Wars and Willow actor Warwick Davis has spoken about returning to the role of Professor Filius Flitwick for the new Harry Potter TV series.
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Davis originally played Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies, beginning with 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and is so far the only cast member from the films to also appear in the upcoming TV series.
"That character has been one of my favourite characters to play in my career," he told the Press Association.
"He’s a very warm, kind of likeable character, as far as I’m concerned. I actually based him a lot on some of my teachers. He’s the kind of teacher you could say you’d forgotten your homework and they wouldn’t mind. They’d say, ‘OK, don’t do it again, but don’t worry about it for now’.
"To be asked to come back and play him again for the series was a huge honour, and I’m excited to retell these stories because they’re fantastic stories."
Warwick Davis. HBO
Davis said that he couldn't say anything about the series because it is "very top secret," but called it a "terrific honour" to be involved in the Wizarding World franchise.
As well as starring as Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies and series, Davis is best known for his lead role in the fantasy drama movie and series Willow, and as Wicket the Ewok (among other roles) in the Star Wars films.
The eight-episode first season of Harry Potter is based on JK Rowling's first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and is due for release on HBO Max on December 25 this year.
Joining Davis in the cast are John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton star as Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in HBO's Harry Potter HBO
Filming has been taking place at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, near Watford in Hertfordshire since July 2025, the same studios where the original film series was made.
Other locations have included Borough High Street and King's Cross Station in London, Cadgwith and Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall, and the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, which was also used for Quidditch scenes in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
A second season was confirmed in May, and production has already started.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.
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Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.
In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.
Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.
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Harry Potter will be available to watch on HBO Max from 25 December 2026.
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Jo Berry
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