Daniel Radcliffe has boarded the upcoming HBO original documentary “David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived” as an executive producer, in addition to being prominently featured in the film as an interview subject. The movie, set to debut in November, chronicles the life of Radcliffe’s “Harry Potter” stunt double, who worked closely alongside Radcliffe from “Sorcerer’s Stone” all the way to “Deathly Hallows Part 1” when he was tragically paralyzed during a set accident. Holmes broke his neck performing a stunt and was paralyzed from the chest down.
The official doc synopsis from HBO reads: “The film is acoming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England,who isselectedto play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first ‘Harry Potter’ film, when Daniel is just 11. Over the next 10 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 features “candid personal footage shot over the last decade,behind-the-scenes material fromHolmes’ stuntwork, scenes of his current lifeandintimate interviewswithDavid,Daniel Radcliffe,friends, family, andformer crew,” HBO adds.“The film also reflects universal themes of living with adversity, growing up, forging identities in an uncertain world, and thebonds that bind us togetherand lift us up.”
“David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived,” directed by “Lad: A Yorkshire Story” filmmaker Dan Hartley, is just the latest collaboration between Radcliffe and Holmes following their work together across the “Harry Potter” movies. During the pandemic in 2020, the two joined forces to launch the “Cunning Stunts” podcast in which they shined a greater light on stunt performers across Hollywood.
“I think there’s a myth around stuntmen that they are just superhuman in some way,” Radcliffe said at the time about the podcast. “When the public see something really painful or horrible, they think it was a visual effect or that there’s some clever, safe way of doing it. Often that’s not the case. There’s no way of faking, for example, falling down stairs. When you get hit by a car, you’re still getting hit by a car, even if it’s going slower than it would. They find the safest way of doing it, but it can still hurt.”
The film is an HBO documentary Films production in association with Sky and Lightbox / Ripple. Producers include Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Vanessa Davies and Amy Stares. Radcliffe is joined as an executive producer by Holmes, Hartley, Sue Latimer, Sarah Spahovic. HBO executive producers are Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen. Sky executive producer is Poppy Dixon.
“David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived” debuts Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. It will air on Sky documentaries and the streaming service NOW in the U.J. starting Nov. 18.
