Gary Oldman expects HBO's Harry Potter will satisfy fans

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Oldman said he expects the HBO series adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels to please fans in what sounds like a pedantic, lore- and character-mired way the films never could. “We had to cut a lot [for the movies],” he said. “And still we could only get the films down to, like, three hours.” Oldman went on to say, “I believe [the series is] gonna do it pretty much word-for-word, which I think, as a viewer, would be more satisfying.” Indeed, a TV series offers more adaptive wiggle room than a film ever could, which suggests that Oldman’s Potter character, Sirius Black, could see more screen time than he did after the character debuted in Alfonso Cuarón’s Azkaban. (To date, the Sirius Black role has yet to be cast for the series.) As to Black’s Potter future, and the future of Potter in general, Oldman is simply “grateful” to have been part of the franchise, a distinction that has only grown more fraught after years of watching its creator quadruple down on her anti-trans views.