It’s barely been a decade since the last Harry Potter film was released, but Harry’s story isn’t over yet: a Potter TV show is in the works.
The show – which will readapt the entire book series (one through seven) – was first announced in April 2023 by Warner Bros Discovery, before moving to HBO Max earlier this year, aka the brains behind shows like Succession and House of the Dragon.
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me,” Harry Potter author JK Rowling said in a press release announcing the news. “I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.”
See also: Meet the stars playing Dumbledore, Hagrid, and McGonnagal in new Harry Potter TV series
It is unclear where it will be shown in the UK, though if it follows other HBO shows like House of the Dragon and Succession it will be available on Sky Atlantic.
Now following months of rumours, the first official castings have been announced.
Who has been cast in the Harry Potter TV series?
John Lithgow, Janet McTeer and Nick Frost are among the confirmed cast of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
The network today confirmed the casting of John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Luke Thallon has also been confirmed to play Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse has been cast as Argus Filch.
“We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch,” said Francesca Gardiner, showrunner and executive producer and Mark Mylod, director of multiple episodes and executive producer.
“We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.”
When is the Harry Potter TV series coming out?
HBO chief executive Casey Bloys has said that the season is scheduled to start filming in mid-2025. Production will take place at Warner Bros’ Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire – the same place the famous films were shot.
There’s a while to wait yet, though: the current estimated release date for the Harry Potter series is 2026.
Max and Warner Bros have also confirmed that they are expecting a 10-season arc, which doubtless means that some of the books will be split across multiple years. What that looks like yet we don’t know, but we’ll keep you updated when we find out more.
Is JK Rowling involved?
Yes, she’s coming on as executive producer – although her stance on gender issues has drawn a lot of controversy and press attention in recent years and has inevitably been raised ahead of this new show.
“Our priority is what’s on the screen,” Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO, said about it. “Obviously, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority, what’s on screen.”
