The Boy Who Lived lives again!
The producers at HBO’s Harry Potter TV series solemnly swear that they are up to no good as they officially begin production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the United Kingdom. This comes almost exactly 14 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 graced the big screen to wrap up Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe, Swiss Army Man) seven-book, eight-film journey.
Fans of the popular series by J. K. Rowling have been rejoicing at the first look at Dominic McLaughlin’s (Grow) Harry Potter, dressed in his Hogwarts robes with his signature messy black hair and round glasses slightly askew. Already, the accuracy of McLaughlin’s wardrobe is a plus point for fans, as it remains faithful to the source material of Potter’s appearance.
Joining him on the cast are Arabella Stanton (Matilda the Musical stage production) as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The young trio were cast from a pool of more than 30,000 actors who auditioned last fall.
Meanwhile, other key staff members of Hogwarts have been cast, 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, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon (The Favourite) as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse (Alice in Wonderland) as Argus Filch.
The rest of the cast includes Katherine Parkinson (Humans) as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn (The Outfit) as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel (The Crown) as Cornelius Fudge. An exclusive report by Variety has also indicated that Bel Powley (A Small Light) and Daniel Rigby (Eric and Ernie) will play Petunia and Vernon Dursley, respectively.
New casting announced on Monday has also revealed Rory Wilmot (FBI: International) as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey (Sherlock) as Madam Rolanda Hooch and Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones) as Garrick Ollivander.
Spearheaded by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (His Dark Materials) and director Mark Mylod (Succession), HBO’s new take on the beloved book series will follow the young Potter as he discovers his magic lineage and embarks on a journey to discover himself and the wonderful world of wizardry. Along the way, he befriends Weasley and Granger, and together they aid him in his journey to defeat the infamous Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort.
Each of the seven Harry Potter books will constitute an entire season. According to Variety, shooting for Season 1 is expected to continue until the spring of 2026, with Season 2 going into production after a brief hiatus.
The series is expected to debut in 2027 on HBO Max. But until then? Mischief managed.
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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