‘The boy who lifted!’ AI reimagines Harry Potter cast as diehard gym-goers
Harry Potter, Ronald Weaver and Hermione Granger are beloved characters in the world of children’s literature.
The terrifying trio has captured the hearts of readers around the world since the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997.
But while the main characters in the franchise, which was later adapted into a franchise, are loved for their adventurous spirit, their actual physique was never crucial to JK Rowling’s storylines.
However, thanks to the magic of AI, the cast of the hit films – including Daniel Ratcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – have been reimagined as diehard gym goers.
Earlier this year, the YouTube channel Fantasy Images uploaded a video titled “The Boy Who Lifted.”
Harry Potter – known for his lanky looks and glasses – has turned into this Hulk-esque man
The hilarious AI-generated visuals begin with a fanatical Dumbledore asking, “Harry Spotter, did you skip leg day again?”
Then the AI responds to Harry Potter aptly, “Every day is gun day, sir.”
Referring to the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Hogwarts Headmaster continues: ‘It’s your job to make sure I keep drinking this protein shake. Even if you have to shove it down my throat.’
A beefy Potter asks why he can’t drink it himself, to which Dumbledore explains, “Because I have to bulk, Harry.”
Voldemort also gets in on the action, offering a light remix of one of his most infamous lines: “There is no right and wrong. There is only weight and those who are too weak to lift it.’
Even a burly Sirius Black joins in, asking, “If you want to know what a man is like, see how much he’s on the couch.”
The credits on the unusual video go to Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence program, while the voices go to ElevenLabs and speech animations to D-ID.
The video has since gone viral after racking up more than 4.4 million views on the platform.
As if he wasn’t scary enough already, Voldemort has now turned into an evil muscle-killing wizard
Dumbledore is traditionally thought to be wise and caring, but in this video he only cares about his protein shakes
The AI turned most of the stars into beasts, but fans complained that there was no version of Hagrid
The AI program Mid Journey didn’t just focus on the human characters. It also turned Hedwig the owl into this strange character
It has also garnered over 150,000 likes while thousands have commented.
One of them wrote, “That image of Hedwig is going to haunt my dreams.”
A second wrote: “This is truly the most inspiring video I’ve ever seen as a Harry Potter fan.”
Another wrote: ‘This is perfection, a work of art. I recognize a fellow perfectionist when I see one.’
But many complained that Hagrid was missing.
Draco Malfoy like you’ve never seen him before. His ego would have been even bigger if he really looked like this
Filch the janitor is seen with big shoulders and a shirt top with veins bursting out of his skin
The female characters are also made strong and stacked by the AI program, which changes how people look
Fans were outraged that Hagrid was not included in the AI-generated video. Pictured: Robbie Coltrane, who passed away last year at the age of 72
One of them wrote, “They include Hedwig and Finch, but NOT HAGRID?” Could you imagine? Standing at 8 ft tall. What a beast he would be.’
Robbie Coltrane – who played Hagrid in all eight films – passed away in October 2022 at the age of 72.
The Scottish star, whose real name is Anthony Robert McMillan, was best known for playing beloved Hogwarts game warden Hagrid and starring as criminal psychologist Dr. Eddie ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald in the 1990s ITV drama.
Moreover, British actor Matthew Lewis got his big break when he was cast as Neville Longbottom in the series in 2001.
But since the end of the series, the star, 33, has undergone a surprising transformation and is considerably slimmer and more muscular than he appeared on screen.
Left and right: Matthew Lewis – who was cast when he was 12 years old – played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series
Since the end of the series, the star, 33, has undergone a surprising transformation and is significantly slimmer and more muscular than he appeared on screen
In May 2015, the then 25-year-old completed his transition from nerdy to hunky with a raunchy, boxer-clad shoot for Attitude magazine.
But there was one person who was particularly stunned by the bold magnitude of this change.
Author JK Rowling, who met Lewis when he was just 12 years old, expressed her shock at the nearly naked images reaching the Twittersphere.
Rowling tweeted her reaction to seeing the actor’s naked body — essentially dressed only in just a pair of skintight Armani briefs — and a hilarious and slightly embarrassing Twitter exchange ensued.
The author, referring to Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe’s full nudity for his theater stint in Equus in 2008, did a light-hearted dig at Lewis.
She tweeted: ‘@Mattdavelewis Not as bad as watching Dan in Equus, but close. Warn me next time, for God’s sake.’