Pack that suitcase, feather that quill, and continue feeling iffy about J.K. Rowling, because HBO are about to make good on their bold decision to take Harry Potter fans, and the rest of the world, back to Hogwarts.
It’s been 14 years since the last movie opened, an event that effectively closed out a saga that an entire generation grew up with, and which many young people still do. That it’s taken this long for a reboot (just consider how many Spider-Men there currently are) is a testament both to the strength of those movies and how protective many of us still are of them.
With filming now underway – for a planned release in 2027 – on the first of the show’s seven seasons (one per school year), things are quickly falling into place. Given that the movies practically hired 90% of the best British and Irish actors of their generation, many of whom seem irreplaceable in their respective roles, the most curious questions have been around the show’s casting process. This unenviable job fell to casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann (Barbie, The Batman), who, from at least a surface level, have already done a fine job.
Let’s take a look through them all and, wherever possible, discover where we’ve seen these actors before.
Dominic McCloughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Harry, Hermione and Ron
The most important roles have, of course, been given to newcomers. Dominic McCloughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione, and Alastair Stout will play Ron.
Mark Mylod has been quoted as saying that the casting call (which asked for people aged between nine and 11) received applications from “tens of thousands of children,” so congrats to these three. We wish all the best. Naturally, we’ve not seen them anywhere before.
One to watch: It’s the first role for Stanton and Stout, but fans eager to see McLoughlin (alongside Nick ‘Hagrid’ Frost, who we’ll get onto next) can catch him in the movie Grow, which premiered at the Edinburgh film festival in August 2025.
Nick Frost as Hagrid
The task of filling the late Robbie Coltrane’s presumably enormous shoes has been given to Nick Frost, the similarly beloved star of Spaced and the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. Outside of those early projects with his close friend Simon Pegg, Frost has appeared in fan favourites such as Dr Who, while loaning his craggy voice to everything from Tintin to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. We can imagine him saying the lines. We can imagine him on a motorbike. This one seems like a win!
One to watch: For something recent and bearded, Nick’s appearance as Gobber the Belch in the recent live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon should provide some clues.
John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
Another make-or-break choice. The role of Hogwarts’ beloved headmaster is mostly associated with the Irish luminaries Richard Harris (who passed away after filming The Chamber of Secrets) and Michael Gambon (who left us in 2023). Interestingly, Jude Law is the only Englishman to take the role so far, having played him in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The role now falls to an American for the first time, though Lithgow won raves (and awards) for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Crown, so we don’t expect anyone to kick up too much of a fuss.
The New Yorker broke out in Harry and the Hendersons and 3rd Rock from the Sun, but is now more known as one of the most beloved character actors, appearing in everything from Interstellar to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
One to watch: His recent performance as the conniving Cardinal Tremblay in Conclave should give fans an idea of how the actor looks wearing a robe, and in similarly cloistered surroundings.
Paapa Essiedu as Snape
Some of the online responses to Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Snape have been as predictable as it is atrocious. Sane people, thankfully, can’t wait to see what the I May Destroy You breakout does with a character that the late Alan Rickman once made his own. Like Rickman, Essiedu cut his teeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into film and television with roles in Black Mirror, Black Doves and more recently opposite Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun.
One to watch: I May Destroy You. It’s never a bad time to recommend Michaela Coel’s phenomenal show.
Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander
Top-notch roles get the most, not the lesser? Not quite. Garrick Ollivander didn’t get a huge amount of screen time in the original movies, but the great John Hurt made every scene count. The role has now fallen to Game of Thrones alum Anton Lesser, who seems perfectly cast as the master wandmaker.
One to watch: Lesser always brings the stench of menace to his performances, most recently as Major Partagaz in the simply unmissable Andor.
Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall
Another iconic role that will forever be associated with a beloved and sorely missed actor. When we think of Professor McGonagall, we think of Maggie Smith and her unique blend of no-nonsense deliveries and motherly warmth. Now, it’s up to Janet McTeer to fill those shoes.
McTeer was probably at the height of her fame in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, with her role in Tumbleweeds being acknowledged with a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. Younger viewers will be more familiar with her role as Edith Prior in the Divergent series and her appearance as Walters in the latest Mission: Impossible.
One to watch: Albert Nobbs, which Rowling presumably dislikes and for which McTeer received her second Oscar nomination.
Louise Brealey as Rolanda Hooch
The Quidditch instructor, Madam Hooch, didn’t have much to do in the original movies, only appearing in The Philosopher’s Stone. This was apparently as much to do with the amount of ground the movies had to cover as a pay dispute that occurred between the studio and actor Zoë Wanamaker. Fair enough.
One thing people seem to agree on about the series’ episodic structure is that a lot more time will be given to the wizarding sport. This will presumably mean more screentime for Louise Brealey, which is great news to fans of Sherlock (in which she played Molly Hooper) and to anyone who’s been enjoying her unhinged performance as the mother to real-life sisters Kat Sadler and Lizzie Davidson in Such Brave Girls.
One to watch: Look no further than Such Brave Girls.
Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom
With Tom Felton reprising his most famous role on Broadway, the job of taking on the role of the young Draco falls to Lox Pratt. Pratt is as much of a newcomer as the three central actors, but his casting as the antagonist, Jack, in a soon-to-be-released adaptation of Lord of the Flies does suggest that HBO are not the only one to have noticed the young actor’s ability to show a menacing glint in the eyes.
Another of the newcomers is Rory Wilmot, who takes on the pivotal role of Neville Longbottom. Wilmot is similarly fresh on the scene, but viewers can catch him in the soon-to-be-released Netflix miniseries Out of the Dust.
One to watch: nothing yet, but keep an eye out for the shows mentioned above.
Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy
The musician and actor Johnny Flynn has already worked in movies and TV for almost 20 years before inheriting the role of Lucius Malfoy from Jason Isaacs. In that time, Flynn has appeared in two movies by Olivier Assayas, played David Bowie in 2020’s Stardust and taken on the role of Dickie Greenleaf (once famously portrayed by Jude Law) alongside Andrew Scott in Ripley.
One to watch: for haughty, low-key, Malfoyish arrogance, Ripley feels like the right place to start.
Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley
Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will take over from the great Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths to play Harry’s long-suffering aunt and uncle in the new series. Powley broke out with a phenomenal performance in Marriane Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl in 2015 before going a bit under the radar. Her most high-profile work since has been a recurring role in Season 1 of The Morning Show and a part in The King of Staten Island. Rigby, meanwhile, appeared in Season 2 of Black Mirror and in the underappreciated show Jericho.
One to watch: Diary of a Teenage Girl, in which Powley plays a 15-year-old, which makes her casting as Petunia a touch hard to process.
Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley
Katherine Parkinson is set to appear as Molly Weasley, the ever-benevolent mother of Ron, Ginny, Bill, George, and the rest. Parkinson is best known for her great comedic work opposite Chris O’Dowd and Richard Ayoade in The IT Crowd. Given that the show’s creator, Graham Linehan, has since shown similarly controversial opinions about trans rights as J.K. Rowling, don’t be surprised if the actor is asked to field more challenging questions by the press than some of her co-stars.
One the watch: Despite all the dispiriting things to come out about its creator, The IT Crowd still has a lot to recommend it.
Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge
Taking over from Robert Hardy as Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is Bertie Carvel, an actor who’s earned a reputation for playing larger-than-life characters. On stage, he won an Olivier Award for playing the villainous Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical and a Tony for his portrayal of Rupert Murdoch in Ink. On screen, he appeared in Les Misérables and The Tragedy of Macbeth but is probably best known for playing Tony Blair on two seasons of The Crown.
One to watch: given the material, it’s gotta be The Crown.
Paul Whitehouse as Filch
The TV icon will take over the role played originally by David ‘Walder Frey’ Bradley. Whitehouse, who is probably still best known for The Fast Show and his many collaborations with Harry Enfield, will presumably give the Hogwarts janitor a more comedic spin. He will also presumably knock it out of the park.
One to watch: For something more recent, try his portrayal of Mikoyan in Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin.
