HBO releases surprise Harry Potter reboot clip of Great Hall banquet

With just over a month until the Harry Potter reboot debuts, HBO is trying to drum up excitement (and maybe even win over the naysayers) with a surprise clip. The 90-second video, released Saturday evening, gives viewers an extended look at the show’s take on the banquet scene in Hogwarts’ Great Hall, which happens after the new students get sorted into their houses. The kids, including Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, enthusiastically clap their hands on the long tables and chant headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s (John Lithgow) name before he kicks off the feast. Harry asks Ron if Dumbledore is “a bit mad,” to which his new friend replies, “Yep, totally off his rocker.” Dumbledore then snaps his fingers, making platters of food magically appear on the tables. As Harry bites into a drumstick, with a facial expression suggesting it’s the best piece of chicken he’s ever tasted, Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall (Janet McTeer) discuss Gryffindor’s latest recruit. “Admit it, you’re pleased that he’s in your house,” Dumbledore tells McGonagall. She remarks that Harry is the spitting image of his father, James Potter. “I can’t believe it,” the professor says. “It’s uncanny.”