It was previously reported that these four stars were in negotiations to join the series, and HBO finally confirmed their casting. Their new Harry Potter series will star Lithgow (The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, McTeer (The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape, and Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid.
They’ll be joined by two recurring players—Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. HBO is still in the process of casting the young actors who’ll play the main trio—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger – and it’s been reported they’ve auditioned over 30,000 kids for the roles.
The new TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series hails from writer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner, while Mark Mylod will be in charge of directing multiple episodes. HBO described it as “a faithful adaptation” that will explore every corner of the Wizarding World and bring Harry Potter’s incredible adventures to new and existing audiences.
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Lithgow is fresh off starring in the Oscar-nominated film Conclave, and his list of credits is pretty impressive. In addition to winning six Emmy Awards, most recently for his supporting turn as Winston Churchill in The Crown, he also won two Golden Globes and received two Oscar nominations.
According to several reports, John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore, but HBO is yet to make things official. They released a statement saying, “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
No actors are currently attached to this project, but there’s been a lot of casting rumors flying around. Before Lithgow’s potential casting made the headlines, Oscar-winner Mark Rylance was reportedly the top casting choice for Dumbledore, while Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) was eying the role of Severus Snape.
As for the leading trio, Warner Bros. launched an open casting back in late 2024, so they’ll most likely be played by newcomers. Francesca Gardiner will be credited as a showrunner of this series, which has been described as “a faithful adaptation” that will feature a new cast and lead a new generation of fandom.
]]>This project is the centerpiece of the recently launched streaming service Max—a birthchild of a merger between HBO Max with Discovery+. It was announced during a recent Warner Bros. Discovery press conference, and the company’s CEO David Zaslav and Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, were there to give it a green light.
“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World,” said Bloys.
Author J.K. Rowling joined the project as executive producer and said she’s looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will preserve the integrity of her books.
Harry Potter novels have previously been adapted into eight movies led by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. They grossed 7.7 billion worldwide and were later followed by the spinoff franchise Fantastic Beasts, which brought in another $1.8 billion across three films.
It was previously reported that these four stars were in negotiations to join the series, and HBO finally confirmed their casting. Their new Harry Potter series will star Lithgow (The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, McTeer (The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape, and Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid.
They’ll be joined by two recurring players—Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. HBO is still in the process of casting the young actors who’ll play the main trio—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger – and it’s been reported they’ve auditioned over 30,000 kids for the roles.
The new TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series hails from writer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner, while Mark Mylod will be in charge of directing multiple episodes. HBO described it as “a faithful adaptation” that will explore every corner of the Wizarding World and bring Harry Potter’s incredible adventures to new and existing audiences.
]]>
Lithgow is fresh off starring in the Oscar-nominated film Conclave, and his list of credits is pretty impressive. In addition to winning six Emmy Awards, most recently for his supporting turn as Winston Churchill in The Crown, he also won two Golden Globes and received two Oscar nominations.
According to several reports, John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore, but HBO is yet to make things official. They released a statement saying, “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
No actors are currently attached to this project, but there’s been a lot of casting rumors flying around. Before Lithgow’s potential casting made the headlines, Oscar-winner Mark Rylance was reportedly the top casting choice for Dumbledore, while Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) was eying the role of Severus Snape.
As for the leading trio, Warner Bros. launched an open casting back in late 2024, so they’ll most likely be played by newcomers. Francesca Gardiner will be credited as a showrunner of this series, which has been described as “a faithful adaptation” that will feature a new cast and lead a new generation of fandom.
]]>This project is the centerpiece of the recently launched streaming service Max—a birthchild of a merger between HBO Max with Discovery+. It was announced during a recent Warner Bros. Discovery press conference, and the company’s CEO David Zaslav and Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, were there to give it a green light.
“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World,” said Bloys.
Author J.K. Rowling joined the project as executive producer and said she’s looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will preserve the integrity of her books.
Harry Potter novels have previously been adapted into eight movies led by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. They grossed 7.7 billion worldwide and were later followed by the spinoff franchise Fantastic Beasts, which brought in another $1.8 billion across three films.