HBO'sHarry PotterTV series has officially found its golden trio. "After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron," showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod said in a statement on Tuesday. "We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there." Dominic McLaughlin will be playing the Boy Wizard himself, Harry Potter, while Arabella Stanton has been cast as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley. The show is set to premiere in 2027 and will be based on the original story, but with major plot changes, andeach seasonwill focus on one of the seven books in the internationally popular literary series. In December,Variety reportedthat Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette said the show is expected to be a 10-year project. That same month, Maxannounced on Instagramthat production on the show would begin this summer at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England, where the original film franchise was filmedfrom 2000 to 2010. Here's what we know so far about the cast. Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. The character has previously been played by Michael Gambon and Richard Harris in theHarry Potterfranchise and Jude Law and Toby Regbo in theFantastic Beastsseries. "Well, it came as a total surprise to me," Lithgowtold ScreenRantin February. "I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes." The British actor has been cast as Severus Snape, the potions professor at Hogwarts. Alan Rickman played Snape in all eightHarry Potterfilms. Essiedu earned several nominations for his role in the BBC'sI May Destroy Youand co-starred with Saoirse Ronan inThe Outrun,which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. McTeer will play Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House and the deputy headmistress under Dumbledore. Actress Maggie Smith played McGonagall in theHarry Pottermovies, while Fiona Glascott played her inFantastic Beasts.The English actress has won multiple theater, film and TV awards and nominations, and will also star in the upcomingMission: Impossible — The Final Reckoningwith Tom Cruise. Frost has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant who works as the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. Robbie Coltrane originated the character in theHarry Pottermovies. The comedian is most well-known for his involvement in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, which includesShaun of the Dead, Hot FuzzandWorld's End. Whitehouse will play Argus Filch,the caretaker at Hogwarts. He was portrayed by David Bradley in every Harry Potter film. While Filch did not appear in the last twoHarry Pottermovies, the character does appear in every single book. The British actor was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy show,The Fast Show, which ran from 1994 to 2014. The British stage actor will play Quirinus Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the first book and movie, which means Thallon will only be in the first season of the show. Ian Hart played Quirrell inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.Thallon has played the lead for multiple major stage productions in London. For now, no original cast members or producers from the movie series have been announced to be part of the upcoming show. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry,told ComicBookin June 2023 that he supported the new show but was not interested in being involved. "I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way," he said. "But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it." Other actors involved in the film series — Rickman, Coltrane, Gambon and Smith — have since died. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslavsaidthat he and HBO and Max executives Casey Bloys and Channing Dungey have met with author J.K. Rowling about the reboot. "We spent some real time with J.K. and her team," Zaslav said during a Warner Bros. company call in December. "Both sides are thrilled to be re-igniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn't be more excited about what's ahead." Ina Warner Bros. press releasein 2023, Rowling said, "Max's commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I'm looking forward to being part of this new adaptation, which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series." Bloystold IndieWirein November 2024 that Rowling has "been fairly involved in the process of selecting the writer and director" of the TV show and will "have opinions on casting." On the April 30 episode ofThe Town Podcast, which covers Hollywood news, Bloys defended HBO's decision to continue working with Rowling on the show after somefans raised concerns over her political beliefs. "The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us," Bloys said. "We've been in business for 25 years. We already have a show on HBO from her called 'C.B. Strike' that we do with the BBC. It's pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She's entitled to them.Harry Potteris not secretly being infused with anything. And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter." Fan concerns over Rowling's political beliefs have popped up multiple times since the new series was announced. At the end of April, Essiedu, who was cast as Snape, along with Eddie Redmayne, who starred inFantastic Beasts,and Katie Leung, who was in the originalHarry Potterfilms, signedan open lettercalling on the U.K.'s entertainment industry to protect the transgender community. While Rowlingcondemned the petitionon X, she laterresponded directlyto speculation she would fire Essiedu from the new series, writing, "I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn't exercise it if I did. I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine."
