Production on HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series is now underway at one of the franchise’s most iconic locations, London’s King’s Cross station. The shoot almost certainly captures Harry’s first magical journey through the hidden barrier to Platform 9¾, where students board the Hogwarts Express at the start of term.
Spotted on set were Alastair Stout, who plays Ron Weasley, alongside Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley and Katherine Parkinson as family matriarch Molly Weasley, shared via a post by user @portkey on X/Twitter. In a nod to book accuracy, Stout was seen wearing a Chudley Cannons t-shirt, the emblem of Ron’s favourite Quidditch team.
It remains unclear whether filming itself will be visible to the public, as while King’s Cross is a bustling landmark and a tourist hotspot thanks to its Harry Potter legacy, security around the production is expected to be tight, especially with child actors present.
Season one of the series will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (known in the U.S. as The Sorcerer’s Stone), with cameras set to roll through spring 2026 and production on season two expected to begin shortly afterwards. Each of J.K. Rowling’s seven novels will form the basis of a single season, charting a nearly decade-long journey on screen.
John Lithgow (Conclave), who takes on the role of Albus Dumbledore, previously addressed the scale of this commitment. “Of course, it was a big decision because it’s probably the last major role I’ll play,” he said earlier this year. “It’s an eight-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.”
Earlier sightings have also offered fans a glimpse of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Rubeus Hagrid. On 18 August, the pair were photographed filming on the busy streets of London, with Frost appearing every bit the Hogwarts gameskeeper, dressed in corduroy pants, layered jackets beneath a long khaki coat, and the character’s signature mane of hair and beard. McLaughlin, on the other hand, donned Harry’s round glasses, jeans, a collared sweater, coat, and backpack.
Frost has been candid about shaping Hagrid anew. “You get cast because you’re going to bring something to that. While I’m really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie’s amazing performance, I’m never going to try and be Robbie,” he told Collider. “I’m going to try to do something, not ‘different’ — I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter — but within that, there’s scope for minutia.”
He added that one side of Hagrid he intends to emphasise is his sense of humour: “He’s funny! I want it to be funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike. That’s what I’m planning on doing.”
With cameras now rolling at King’s Cross and fans catching their first glimpse of the Weasleys, excitement is only set to build as HBO’s Harry Potter series brings the Wizarding World back to life for a whole new generation. The Harry Potter series will Apparate onto screens on HBO Max in 2027.
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.
Si Jia
Kevin Low
