Gary Oldman feels new Harry Potter series can be more satisfying: ‘A lot of character detail was sacrificed in films’

Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films, has opened up about HBO's upcoming reboot series that premieres this year.

Veteran actor Gary Oldman, who played benevolent guardian Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film franchise, believes the upcoming television adaptation of JK Rowling's books could prove more satisfying for audiences as it will stay closer to the source material.

Gary Oldman appeared as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise.

Gary Oldman on Harry Potter series

HBO is rebooting the Harry Potter series with an upcoming TV show featuring an all-new cast. The seven books will be adapted into seven seasons over an estimated 8-10-year period. The eight films, produced by Warner Bros, were released from 2001 to 2011. Gary Oldman joined as Sirius Black in the third film. The actor recently told Entertainment Weekly in an interview that the movies had to omit substantial portions of the books due to their runtime, resulting in the loss of considerable character detail.

“We had to cut a lot , and still we could only get the films down to, like, three hours. A lot of character detail was sacrificed”, he added, saying he believed the HBO series would adapt the books "pretty much word-for-word", which he felt would be more satisfying for viewers. Oldman had previously said that Sirius Black, a character he particularly liked, did not receive enough screen time in the films.

However, the 67-year-old added that he remains proud of his association with the film franchise. “I'm proud and grateful to have been part of the 'Harry Potter' films because it is such a phenomenon, the like of which I don't think you're ever gonna see again,” he said. Gary Oldman first portrayed Sirius in the 2004 release, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, before appearing in the next two instalments.

The actor also credited director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two films, for establishing the world and assembling the original cast. Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter in the series, with Rupert Grint playing Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson appearing as Hermione Granger. The young actors were supported by some of the finest British actors across generations.

The films were based on the bestselling book series by British author J.K. Rowling, published from 1997 to 2007.

All about the Harry Potter series

The new Harry Potter series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The first season of HBO's Harry Potter series has wrapped and is scheduled to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on December 25.

The second season, based on the second book in Rowling's series, is currently in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London.

The cast also includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.