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.
Unlike the fans who are still clinging to the past, Daniel Radcliffe is ready to face the harsh reality and come to terms with the fact that a Harry Potter
reboot is almost inevitable.
The actor said he’s sure we’ll get to see some new versions of this magical world and admitted he expects to watch some other actors playing the character that put him on the map. Radcliffe believes it will be interesting to see how the old movies age, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they got remade in the future.
“It feels like there’s a sacredness around them at the moment but that’ll go, the shine will wear off at some point. It’ll be interesting if they reboot them and just do the films again or do a series; I’m fascinated to watch,” explained Radcliffe.
The majority of fans who read his statement weren’t on the same page, but they were open to the possibility of seeing the Potterverse expand through new spin-offs.
]]>The British actress is no stranger to the world of fantasy, having played Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Cressida in The Hunger Games.
But now, the 36-year-old has decided to add a new spell to her book and venture into the world of Hogwarts.
Natalie is set to narrate Harry Potter: A History of Magic which will be published by Pottermore Publishing and reveals hidden stories from throughout magic’s history that influenced J.K. Rowling’s illustrious universe.
You may recall the title as the Bathilda Bagshot-authored book prescribed to Harry and his classmates which was one of Hermione’s favorites.
The audiobook will delve into real-world magical texts and artifacts, from Ethiopian charms and Chinese oracle bones to the story of Nicolas Flamel and Smelly Nelly’s black moon crystal ball.
Natalie appears to be just as excited as the rest of us.
“I’ve always adored the Harry Potter books, but it wasn’t until I started speaking with the British Library’s curators — hearing about the various myths, legends, and cultures that have helped shape the wizarding world — that I really began to appreciate the richness and depth of J. K. Rowling’s writing,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
All that’s left to say is — accio!
]]>Matthew Lewis, best known for his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise, is officially off the market.
The 28-year-old actor has tied the knot with girlfriend Angela Jones. Lewis announced the exciting news Monday on Twitter.
Alongside a beautiful photo of the couple from their special day, he wrote jokingly, “Not only did I miss @ArcticMonkeys in LA but they were performing in Italy at the same time we were there and my wife made me get married instead. Fuming.”
The couple said their ‘I do’s’ in Italy after their engagement was confirmed to E! News in December 2016. “They’re both over the moon. They got together in July and hit it off straight away,” the rep said in a statement at the time.
Congratulations, you two!
]]>Not only did I miss @ArcticMonkeys in LA but they were performing in Italy at the same time we were there and my wife made me get married instead. Fuming. pic.twitter.com/VEZfTkizBa
— Matthew Lewis (@Mattdavelewis) May 28, 2018
It has been a long seven years since we got to see these Harry Potter alumni together. Over the weekend, Emma Watson was joined by co-stars Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) for what looks like smiled-filled evening.
Much to the fan’s excitement, it was Felton who took to social and shared the adorable snap. The black-and-white pic of the get-together has the lovely Watson sandwiched between the two baseball cap-wearing now all grown up co-stars. The snap was appropriately captioned with, “School mates #hogwartsalumni.”
The pic quickly garnered a slew of likes and comments of heart emojis.
Since the trio said goodbye to the franchise, they have each gone on to have prolific acting careers. Lewis starred in the 2016 romantic drama, Me Before You and is set to appear in the upcoming Terminal alongside Magot Robbie; Felton has also had a steady stream of film and TV roles and Watson of course portrayed Bell in last year’s mega-hit live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Check out the sweet pic below!
]]>
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.
Unlike the fans who are still clinging to the past, Daniel Radcliffe is ready to face the harsh reality and come to terms with the fact that a Harry Potter
reboot is almost inevitable.
The actor said he’s sure we’ll get to see some new versions of this magical world and admitted he expects to watch some other actors playing the character that put him on the map. Radcliffe believes it will be interesting to see how the old movies age, but he wouldn’t be surprised if they got remade in the future.
“It feels like there’s a sacredness around them at the moment but that’ll go, the shine will wear off at some point. It’ll be interesting if they reboot them and just do the films again or do a series; I’m fascinated to watch,” explained Radcliffe.
The majority of fans who read his statement weren’t on the same page, but they were open to the possibility of seeing the Potterverse expand through new spin-offs.
]]>The British actress is no stranger to the world of fantasy, having played Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Cressida in The Hunger Games.
But now, the 36-year-old has decided to add a new spell to her book and venture into the world of Hogwarts.
Natalie is set to narrate Harry Potter: A History of Magic which will be published by Pottermore Publishing and reveals hidden stories from throughout magic’s history that influenced J.K. Rowling’s illustrious universe.
You may recall the title as the Bathilda Bagshot-authored book prescribed to Harry and his classmates which was one of Hermione’s favorites.
The audiobook will delve into real-world magical texts and artifacts, from Ethiopian charms and Chinese oracle bones to the story of Nicolas Flamel and Smelly Nelly’s black moon crystal ball.
Natalie appears to be just as excited as the rest of us.
“I’ve always adored the Harry Potter books, but it wasn’t until I started speaking with the British Library’s curators — hearing about the various myths, legends, and cultures that have helped shape the wizarding world — that I really began to appreciate the richness and depth of J. K. Rowling’s writing,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
All that’s left to say is — accio!
]]>Matthew Lewis, best known for his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise, is officially off the market.
The 28-year-old actor has tied the knot with girlfriend Angela Jones. Lewis announced the exciting news Monday on Twitter.
Alongside a beautiful photo of the couple from their special day, he wrote jokingly, “Not only did I miss @ArcticMonkeys in LA but they were performing in Italy at the same time we were there and my wife made me get married instead. Fuming.”
The couple said their ‘I do’s’ in Italy after their engagement was confirmed to E! News in December 2016. “They’re both over the moon. They got together in July and hit it off straight away,” the rep said in a statement at the time.
Congratulations, you two!
]]>Not only did I miss @ArcticMonkeys in LA but they were performing in Italy at the same time we were there and my wife made me get married instead. Fuming. pic.twitter.com/VEZfTkizBa
— Matthew Lewis (@Mattdavelewis) May 28, 2018
It has been a long seven years since we got to see these Harry Potter alumni together. Over the weekend, Emma Watson was joined by co-stars Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) for what looks like smiled-filled evening.
Much to the fan’s excitement, it was Felton who took to social and shared the adorable snap. The black-and-white pic of the get-together has the lovely Watson sandwiched between the two baseball cap-wearing now all grown up co-stars. The snap was appropriately captioned with, “School mates #hogwartsalumni.”
The pic quickly garnered a slew of likes and comments of heart emojis.
Since the trio said goodbye to the franchise, they have each gone on to have prolific acting careers. Lewis starred in the 2016 romantic drama, Me Before You and is set to appear in the upcoming Terminal alongside Magot Robbie; Felton has also had a steady stream of film and TV roles and Watson of course portrayed Bell in last year’s mega-hit live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
Check out the sweet pic below!
]]>