It’s been announced that Harry Potter legend Daniel Radcliffe will be working with his former stunt double David Holmes to produce a forthcoming HBO documentary.
The pair worked together for most of the Harry Potter franchise films before an accident on set that changed Holmes’ life "forever."
The documentary will be titled David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, which will tell the coming-of-age story of stuntman 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 11.”
What happened to Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double?
Holmes broke his neck and was left paralysed from the chest down while performing a stunt on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in 2010, just one of the eight films based on JK Rowling’s iconic novels.
According to The Independent, the official logline continues to state: “Over the next 10 years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralysed 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.”
Radcliffe, now 34 and Holmes, 42 will work together once more following the launch of their 2020 Cunning Stunts podcast.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived will also feature “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, Radcliffe, friends, family, and former crew.”
HBO adds: “The film also reflects universal themes of living with adversity, growing up, forging identities in an uncertain world, and the bonds that bind us together and lift us up.”
David Holmes praises the NHS and Daniel Radcliffe on Instagram
Posting on Instagram, Holmes wrote: “Finally, the day has come. I can now share with you all the secret project and four years’ hard work that has gone into creating this film: THE BOY WHO LIVED.
“Being a stuntman was my calling in life, and doubling Harry was the best job in the world.
“In January 2009, I had a stunt rehearsal accident that changed my life forever.
“This film tells the story of not just my achievements in front of camera, but also the challenges I face every day, and my overall attitude to life after suffering a broken neck.
“In the turbulent world we find ourselves living in right now, I would like to quote Harry: ‘We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.’
“I am only able to live because of the united love and support that I am fortunate enough to have had. And it is thanks to this love and support that I am able to share my journey with you all.”
He also thanked the NHS, his friends and family and care team as well as Radcliffe himself himself “for his willingness to help tell my story, and for his years of support, friendship and love”.
When is David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived available to watch in the UK?
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived will be available to watch in the UK from November 18 on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here