Summary

• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy's success shows potential for HBO's remake to incorporate key characters like Professor Black for a book-faithful adaptation.
• Simon Pegg brought Phineas Nigellus Black to life in Hogwarts Legacy, and bringing him back would offer a cohesive connection to the Harry Potter TV show.
• Hogwarts Legacy actors, like Enn Reitel and Jason Anthony, could return to imbue the Harry Potter remake with a sense of cohesiveness.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy is set 100 years before the events of Harry Potter, but HBO's upcoming remake can still borrow one of its key characters. The video game is easily the most successful installment in the Wizarding World franchise since Warner Bros' Harry Potter movies, proving that there is still interest in the franchise despite Fantastic Beasts' shortcomings. Now, with the Harry Potter books and films being remade into a TV series, it may be beneficial for HBO to lift a few features from Hogwarts Legacy to duplicate its success.

HBO and Warner Bros have announced that its Harry Potter remake should begin streaming on Max in 2026 and will be a book-faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling's iconic book series. The idea of entire seasons dedicated to each of Harry's years at Hogwarts is exciting since it means that some of the finer details that the Harry Potter movies missed can finally make it to the screen. This will, of course, include characters previously cut, some of which were included in Hogwarts Legacy instead.

Hogwarts Legacy's Phineas Nigellus Black Must Be In HBO's Harry Potter Remake

The Harry Potter movies left out the character of Phineas Nigellus Black, but he was a memorable feature of both the books and the Hogwarts Legacy video game. Known as the least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Professor Black was in charge of the school a century before Harry first walked through the double oak doors. This means that he had long since passed away by the events of Harry Potter, but that isn't to say that he wasn't a character in his own right in the books.

Since all Hogwarts headmasters are immortalized in portraits within the school, Phineas Nigellus Black was a frequent nuisance in Dumbledore's office. The purpose of these paintings is to give the current headmaster advice about how to run the school, and Professor Black was especially vocal about how he felt Dumbledore should handle things (especially student discipline). Additionally, since Phineas Nigellus also had a portrait in Number 12 Grimmault Place, he was a useful messenger between Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Professor Black's portrait was particularly important since it was thanks to him (and a rare slip up from Hermione Granger) that Snape knew where to find Harry to secretly leave him the Sword of Gryffindor. Of course, since Phineas Nigellus Black wasn't in the movies, this was a wide-open plot hole in Deathly Hallows Part 1. HBO's Harry Potter remake will be a book-faithful adaptation, so small details like this will be imperative. Therefore, the TV series must include Professor Black in its version of Harry's story.

Simon Pegg Could Return To Again Play Professor Black In Harry Potter

Because Phineas Nigellus Black hadn't been brought to the screen before Hogwarts Legacy, the video game had the benefit of shaping the character how it wanted. The job of bringing the character to life fell to actor and comedian Simon Pegg, who has developed a reputation for working on various nerddoms. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and even the Ice Age franchise have all been graced with his talent. Ultimately, this made Pegg the perfect addition to the world of Harry Potter.

Bringing back cast members from the original Harry Potter movies would be complicated since this could potentially stand in the way of the TV remake differentiating itself. However, since Pegg never played in the films and therefore never interacted with characters like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, bringing him back to reprise his role would be far simpler. What's more, HBO casting Pegg for the Harry Potter TV show would be a chance to create cohesiveness with Hogwarts Legacy, which, given the game's success, can only be a benefit.

Professor Black was brought to life in Hogwarts Legacy through motion capture, allowing Simon Pegg to wholly become the character through voice, appearance, and movement.

How Phineas Nigellus Black Would Be Different In The Harry Potter Remake

For those who didn't read the Harry Potter books, Hogwarts Legacy would have been the first experience with Phineas Nigellus Black. In all, the Hogwarts professor was fairly similar to how he was described in the books. Black was wholly unpleasant and believed that students should be seen and not heard (though preferably not seen either). Additionally, he despised Muggle-born witches and wizards and took great pride in the notorious House of Black. However, as a portrait, the book Phineas was different in some ways from what was seen in Hogwarts Legacy.

Despite being a prejudiced Slytherin, Phineas Nigellus Black was entirely loyal to Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books and served the headmaster well during his time.

Despite being a prejudiced Slytherin, Phineas Nigellus Black was entirely loyal to Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books and served the headmaster well during his time. Though it's never overtly stated, it seems the headmaster portraits that lined Dumbledore's office had no choice but to honestly serve the headmaster. They weren't real living beings, only copies of the real men and women who had previously led the ancient school. So, while Phineas Nigellus Black was a pretty nasty and antagonistic force in Hogwarts Legacy, he should be wholly trustworthy in the Harry Potter remake.

Other Hogwarts Legacy Actors Who Could Return For The Harry Potter Remake

Since there is very little crossover between Hogwarts Legacy and the Harry Potter series (thanks to the period difference), there aren't many characters that could be brought back for HBO's remake. However, since the video game is set at Hogwarts, which is almost like an immortal character itself, there are several ways that Hogwarts Legacy can be used to instill a sense of cohesiveness into the Harry Potter TV show.

Many of the Hogwarts portraits in Hogwarts Legacy were voiced by the same handful of actors. Enn Reitel lent his voice to Sir Cadogan in the game, a familiar portrait character in the Harry Potter books, as well as Deek the house-elf, Percival Rackham, and more. Then there is Jason Anthony, who voiced Peeves, Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar, the Sorting Hat, and other Hogwarts ghosts. Since these are all features of the castle that are still there in Harry's day, it would be fun to see these actors return, along with Pegg's Professor Black, to the Harry Potter remake.