A neural network-generated reimagining of the «Harry Potter» saga has surfaced, offering a fresh perspective on what the characters might look like if they were Kazakh. The images have sparked buzz online, with some commenters saying the new cast looks even better than the original movie characters.
The project gained traction after Kazakh blogger Damir Murzagulov shared a video on Instagram featuring AI-rendered versions of the beloved characters. While Murzagulov is no stranger to experimenting with neural networks, this particular video quickly went viral, racking up more than 120,000 views in a single day.
In this reimagined version, all the characters have new names and, in some cases, new hairstyles. Fans noticed that Ron Weasley, now «Rustem,» is portrayed as a brunette, while Draco «Dauren» Malfoy remains blond. Slytherin Malfoy was quickly dubbed the «new crush» by many followers.
Kazakhstani audiences especially embraced the redesign of Severus Snape, with many saying they’d love to see this version of the character in the upcoming HBO reboot of the series, in which Snape is to be portrayed by actor Paapa Essiedu.
Notably, during a historic visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, then–British Prime Minister David Cameron — who became the first serving U.K. leader to visit the Central Asian nation — told local students he would like to be a character from J.K. Rowling’s «Harry Potter» series. Speaking at Nazarbayev University, Cameron joked that anyone with «any sense» would want to be Harry Potter. However, he admitted that the British public would probably see him more as the villainous Voldemort.
