HBO today unveiled the first poster promoting season one of the Harry Potter TV series, an eight-episode adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The poster shows Harry and the now-famous tagline ‘The Boy Who Lived’, also the title of chapter one of the first Harry Potter book.
Excitingly, the poster gives us our first look at Hogwarts Castle, a location which has largely been kept under wraps until now. Although the castle is only visible as a reflection in Harry’s glasses, it’s clear from this view at least that it’s not too dissimilar from the castle we saw in the film series, though some of the exteriors look unique. This is presumably an intentional move from Warner Bros. — the castle is the iconic centrepiece of the Wizarding World theme parks and the ‘Potter’ brand, so the TV show needs to still feel grounded in that universe.
The poster also gives us an up-close look at Harry’s scar, which feels a little more natural than the film version (and plays nicely into the TV series’ choice to ground the magical universe in the natural world). We also get a good look at Harry’s eyes, which are not green, as described in the novel (though the little green lens flare is a nice nod). Daniel Radcliffe famously tried green contact lenses in the first Harry Potter film, but they irritated his eyes, so the idea was abandoned.
And while we’re talking film comparisons, the poster is very reminiscent of the up-close posters used to promote Deathly Hallows: Part 1 back in 2010.
The first season of the Harry Potter TV series begins streaming on Christmas Day.
