“I Can’t Write Like John Williams”: Hans Zimmer on Finding a New Sound for HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’
Hedwig’s Theme has been the sound of the Wizarding World for twenty-five years. Hans Zimmer has no intention of competing with it.
Speaking to Collider in an interview published Friday morning, Zimmer said his approach to HBO’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is to stay “as far away as possible” from John Williams’ work and write something original instead. He is scoring the series alongside Bleeding Fingers Music composers Kara Talve and Anže Rozman, and it premieres at Christmas.
He has been in this position before. Taking on Man of Steel meant following Williams’ Superman, and Zimmer told Collider he spent three months convinced he could not do it — until Zack Snyder cut through the panic with the observation that it was, in the end, just a movie. Zimmer described the reframing as liberating.
His summary of the Potter job was blunter: he cannot write like Williams, and even if he could, he would deliberately steer clear and try to be original. Asked whether that came down to nobody being able to get near Williams, Zimmer agreed, calling him “truly real.”
Where things stand
- Composer: Hans Zimmer, with Kara Talve and Anže Rozman of Bleeding Fingers Music
- Approach: an original score, deliberately not modelled on Williams
- Premiere: Christmas 2026
- First season: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Separately, Zimmer is bringing Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level to North America, opening on February 17, 2027 in Hartford, Connecticut with a 19-piece ensemble. General sale starts September 25 at 10 a.m. local time.
Do you want to hear a trace of Hedwig’s Theme in the series at all, or is a clean break the right call? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to follow along for more Harry Potter news.
Source: Collider
