Alohomora!
Fans of J. K. Rowling’s popular series have unlocked yet another character in the Harry Potter HBO series. Hot on the heels of Dominic McLaughlin’s debut as the titular character yesterday, the network has unveiled the first image of Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as the beloved Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.
Following in the footsteps of the late Robbie Coltrane, Frost plays the half-giant Hagrid who acts as Potter’s friend, confidant and uncle figure. With his stout heart and stature, Hagrid has always been an iconic figure in the Harry Potter franchise, for all of the help he renders, and receives, from the Golden Trio, which comprises Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.
Granger and Weasley are portrayed by Arabella Stanton (Matilda the Musical stage production) and Alastair Stout, respectively, in the upcoming HBO series. Filming on Season 1 has kicked off and is expected to last until the first quarter of 2026, with Season 2 beginning production after a short break. The young trio were selected from a competitive casting call that saw 30,000 actors auditioning last fall.
Other Hogwarts staff members have been cast as well, with John Lithgow (Conclave, The Crown) having been cast as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds, The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London) as Severus Snape, Luke Thallon (The Favourite) as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse (Alice in Wonderland) as Argus Filch.
Though Frost’s wardrobe currently looks faithful to the source material, Potterheads will no doubt be scrutinising every detail of the production to see if their precious book and film franchise is done justice.
Already, fans have voiced out their displeasure about the casting of Essiedu as Severus Snape. While some have denounced the backlash from fans, calling it “toxic” and “racist”, with even Harry Potter film series alum Jason Isaacs coming out to defend the casting choice, some fans are sticking by their guns, claiming that the criticism is due to the physical description of Snape in the books.
In the books, Severus Snape is described as a thin man with a pale, sallow complexion. It is the latter half of the description that fans have drawn issue with, pertaining to the fidelity to the source material. However, regardless of this detail, Essiedu is an Emmy nominee with plenty of prominent roles and acting experience under his belt, and fans will simply have to wait to see if he will do the role justice with his impressive acting chops.
Regardless of the varied opinions of Potterheads, the production team is no doubt locked in on their vision for the series, which debuts in 2027 on HBO Max.
Conversation with Ting Wei is like chatting with a weird AI bot programmed only with One Piece lore and theories, sitcom quotes and other miscellaneous pop culture references. When he’s not sleeping, he’s highly likely reading manga. In fact, the only thing he reads more than manga is the Bible, and it’s honestly pretty close.
Kevin Low
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