HBO’s Harry Potter Series Will Officially Abandon The Movie Franchise’s Iconic Theme

Credit: HBO via MovieStillsDB Published Sep 19, 2026, 3:18 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. Sign in to your ScreenRant account John Williams' iconic Harry Potter theme is being abandoned in the HBO series. The first three Harry Potter movies – Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban –were scored by Williams, and his music continued to be used in the subsequent films. His most iconic piece of music from the Wizarding World franchise is "Hedwig's Theme," which serves as the main theme for the entire movie series. As a defining piece of these adaptations, there was uncertainty about whether HBO's Harry Potter show composer Hans Zimmer would incorporate it. In an interview with Collider, Zimmer explained that the television series is taking a different route with its music because "I can't write like John Williams, but even if I could, I would try to stay away as far as possible and try to be original." The Academy-Award-winning composer also shared the pressure he felt when working on Zack Snyder's Man of Steel given the legendary music Williams created for 1978's Superman movie. From this, he learned the best way was to take a different approach from Williams. Check out his comments below: Let me tell you a story, a quick story. When I was doing Man of Steel, which, of course, is Superman, for three months I was running around going, "I don’t know. I can’t do this. I can’t do this because it’s John Williams. John Williams is — it’s brilliant! It’s brilliant!" And Zack Snyder and Chris — Chris Nolan actually was the producer — and Chris said to Zack, ‘Have you heard anything from Hans yet?" He said, "No," and he says, "You’re not going to hear anything unless you go down there." And Zack phoned me and said, "Can I come down?" I go, "I don’t really have anything," and he goes, "Well, I’ll be there on Tuesday." So I came up with a tune, but I still was incredibly worried about it. Zack just said the simplest thing to me. He said, "Hans, it was just a movie. This is just a movie." And that was so liberating. It’s just a movie, and my life is all about making music for movies, which I do because I love it. While much of the show's production and costume design are similar to the movies, and Warwick Davis is reprising his original role of Professor Filius Flitwick, HBO's adaptation has so far otherwise made a point of distinguishing itself from the films. Given this approach, it is not too surprising that Williams' music won't be incorporated, despite how iconic it is. Zimmer is a renowned composer in his own right, having won Academy Awards for The Lion King and Dune and nominated for Rain Man, The Preacher's Wife, As Good as It Gets, The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, Gladiator, Sherlock Holmes, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk. While he didn't get Academy Awards recognition for it, he was also the composer for Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, three of the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Blade Runner 2049, Top Gun: Maverick, and Dune: Part Two. Ministry of Magic · O.W.L. Examinations Test Your Wizarding Knowledge “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” 🦁GryffindorBravery 🐍SlytherinAmbition 🦅RavenclawWisdom 🦡HufflepuffLoyalty 🏰HogwartsMagic ENTER HOGWARTS → 01 What spell is used to disarm an opponent, famously becoming Harry Potter’s signature move throughout the series? AStupefy BExpelliarmus CProtego DPetrificus Totalus ✓ Correct! Expelliarmus is the Disarming Charm. Harry used it so often that it became his trademark spell — even using it in his final duel against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Expelliarmus. Stupefy is a Stunning Spell, Protego is a Shield Charm, and Petrificus Totalus is the Full Body-Bind Curse. Expelliarmus forces an opponent’s wand out of their hand. NEXT → 02 In “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” Hagrid introduces his Care of Magical Creatures class to a proud hippogriff. What is the creature’s name? AFang BNorbert CBuckbeak DAragog ✓ Correct! Buckbeak the hippogriff became a key part of the story when Draco Malfoy insulted him and got injured. Harry and Hermione later saved Buckbeak from execution using the Time-Turner. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Buckbeak. Fang is Hagrid’s boarhound, Norbert is his baby dragon from the first book, and Aragog is the giant Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest. NEXT → 03 What potion allows the drinker to assume the physical appearance of another person, and plays a major role in “The Chamber of Secrets” and “The Goblet of Fire”? APolyjuice Potion BFelix Felicis CVeritaserum DAmortentia ✓ Correct! Polyjuice Potion transforms the drinker into someone else for about an hour. Hermione brewed it in their second year to infiltrate the Slytherin common room, and Barty Crouch Jr. used it to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Polyjuice Potion. Felix Felicis is liquid luck, Veritaserum is a truth serum, and Amortentia is a powerful love potion. Polyjuice Potion is the one that changes your appearance. NEXT → 04 How many Horcruxes did Lord Voldemort intentionally create to split his soul and achieve immortality? AFive BSeven CFour DSix ✓ Correct! Voldemort intentionally created six Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem, and Nagini. Harry became an accidental seventh Horcrux, making the total number of soul fragments seven — the most magically powerful number. ✗ Not quite! The answer is six. Voldemort deliberately created six Horcruxes: Tom Riddle’s diary, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, and Nagini. Harry was an unintentional seventh piece. NEXT → 05 How many points is the Golden Snitch worth when caught by a Seeker during a Quidditch match? A50 points B150 points C100 points D200 points ✓ Correct! Catching the Golden Snitch awards 150 points and ends the match. This is why the Seeker position is so crucial — catching the Snitch almost always wins the game, though famously at the Quidditch World Cup, Viktor Krum caught it but Bulgaria still lost. ✗ Not quite! The answer is 150 points. The Golden Snitch is worth 150 points and also ends the match. At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, Krum caught the Snitch for Bulgaria but Ireland still won because they were more than 150 points ahead. NEXT → 06 What form does Severus Snape’s Patronus take — revealing his lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily? AA phoenix BA wolf CA doe DA stag ✓ Correct! Snape’s Patronus is a doe — the same as Lily Potter’s. When Dumbledore asked “After all this time?” Snape famously replied, “Always.” It’s one of the most emotional reveals in the entire series. ✗ Not quite! The answer is a doe. Snape’s Patronus matches Lily Potter’s because of his deep, enduring love for her. James Potter’s Patronus was a stag — the male counterpart. The doe is what led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor in the frozen lake. NEXT → 07 What magical object must you look into to see the Mirror of Erised’s true purpose — and what does it show the viewer? ATheir deepest, most desperate desire BTheir future self at their most powerful CTheir greatest fear DTheir happiest memory ✓ Correct! The Mirror of Erised (“desire” spelled backward) shows the deepest desire of whoever looks into it. Harry saw his parents, Ron saw himself as Head Boy and Quidditch captain, and Dumbledore claimed he saw himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks. ✗ Not quite! The answer is their deepest, most desperate desire. “Erised” is “desire” spelled backward. The inscription reads: “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” Dumbledore warned Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, and men have wasted away before it. NEXT → 08 The three Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and which third object that Harry himself possessed? AThe Marauder’s Map BThe Sorting Hat CThe Pensieve DThe Cloak of Invisibility ✓ Correct! The Cloak of Invisibility was passed down through Harry’s family — he inherited it from his father, James. Unlike ordinary invisibility cloaks, this Hallow never fades or weakens, making it a true relic of Death from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” ✗ Not quite! The answer is the Cloak of Invisibility. Harry inherited it from his father on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Together with the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, these three objects make up the Deathly Hallows from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” REVEAL MY SCORE → O.W.L. Examination Complete Your Wizarding Score ⚝ / 8 Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, or Troll? ↻ RETAKE YOUR O.W.L.S The new music composed by Zimmer will help usher in HBO's Harry Potter cast, which features Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley. Along with the main theme music, many of the individual characters will likely get their own themes, as was the case in the movies. Season 2 filming is already underway, with Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart and Billy Barratt as young Tom Riddle among the roles that have already been cast. If all the Harry Potter books are adapted into their own seasons as intended, Zimmer will be composing plenty of new music for the franchise for years to come. Harry Potter season 1 debuts on HBO Max on December 25. Release Date 2026 - 2026 Showrunner Francisca Gardiner Directors Mark Mylod Cast Dominic McLaughlin Harry Potter Arabella Stanton Hermione Granger Alastair Stout Ron Weasley Janet McTeer Minerva McGonagall