While the Harry Potter franchise took the world by storm, one of its most important supporting players underwent a terrible tragedy. The worst part is, despite being so crucial to the films, most fans had no idea.
David Holmes, the stunt double for Daniel Radcliffe during the Harry Potter franchise, had been appearing on-screen since Radcliffe was just 11 years old. During the filming of the second-to-last film, there was an accident. Holmes suffered a major spinal injury that he will likely be dealing with for the rest of his life.
Now a new documentary about Holmes, his story, and his connection to Radcliffe and the Harry Potter team is set to premiere on HBO and Max. Titled David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, it features, per the press release, “candid personal footage shot over the last decade, behind the scenes material from Holmes’ stunt work, scenes of his current life, and intimate interviews with David, Daniel Radcliffe, friends, family, and former crew.”
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The official synopsis for David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is as follows:
The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first Harry Potter film, when Daniel is just eleven. Over the next ten years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down. As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration.
The documentary will premiere on HBO on November 15, 2023. It’ll also be available to stream on Max.
