Harry Potter star says films didn’t show enough of their character

‘If only we could have had five-hour movies,’ actor said

The Harry Potter films crammed a lot into the eight films – but not all the actors were happy with their allotted screen time.

Adapted from JK Rowking’s popular books, the film franchise ran from 2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which was released in 2011.

Each film omitted certain key moments and plot points from the books, which fans are hoping might be explored in a forthcoming TV show set to be released on HBO next year.

One such fan is Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley in the film franchise. Ginny is Ron’s younger sister who, over the course of the series, develops a bond with Harry – and they end up together as adults in the future.

Wright thinks that, wile the book fleshes out the evolution of this relationship nicely, the franchise sadly left that out.

Speaking at the annual Back to Hogwarts event in New York – which did not take place at London’s King’s Cross to the disappointment of booing fans – Wright said there are “so many things” she hopes will play a part in the series.

“More of the development of the relationship between Ginny and Harry,” she told Variety, adding: “There’s nuanced moments of where they begin to fall in love.

“I think more of that arc of her character becoming this real loyal sidekick to Harry and how she really understands and knows his story and who he is and is the best partner for him. So I just hope we see that evolution of that character — and so many characters.”

Wright acknowledged that it was tough to include everything in the film, stating: “If only we could have had five-hour movies. There are so many characters that have moments I love from the books – Neville and Luna – so I’m hoping as a fan of the books that I get to see more.”

Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter, played by Bonnie Wright (Warner Bros Pictures)

The new Harry Potter series will be released on HBO service Max, and is expected to become a “decade-long series”, with each season based on one of the seven books.

“This new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years,” HBO previously said.

It will also feature an entirely new cast to the beloved film franchise, which starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively.

Ahead of the series, the films, which are available to stream on Netflix in the UK, are being moved from Peacock to Max this month. Find a full list of every movie being released on Netflix this month – including “the best film of 2024” – here.