Daniel Radcliffe knows exactly what it’s like to be a young up-and-coming actor about to step into one of the biggest roles in all of pop culture. Of course, he did it over 20 years ago for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, going on to portray the titular wizard for 8 movies in total. His performance remains one of the most celebrated in movie history.
Young Dominic McLaughlin is just starting out on a similar journey. But the challenge for McLaughlin is naturally different. Not only is he portraying Harry Potter in a serialized adaptation rather than movies, but he faces the unavoidable challenge of being compared to Racliffe.
For Radcliffe, the most important thing about the upcoming series is to protect the child stars. The pressure of the project is enormous, and the last thing the kids need is harsh judgment.
The new core trio consists of Harry (Dominic McLaughlin), Hermione (Arabella Stanton), and Ron (Alistair Stout). Radcliffe wants these starts to have their own journeys, not to constantly be compared to the original actors. When the casting was announced, social media collectively decided to “look after these kids,” and Radcliffe has one request to ensure that's possible. “If everyone really means that," he told ScreenRant, “one of the things you can do for me is not ask about us — me, Emma [Watson], Rupert [Grint] — all the time.”
Constant asking adds unnecessary pressure onto the kids; they are standing on the shoulders of giants as it is. “I would like not to be a weird spectral phantoms in these children’s lives and just to let them get on," he explained, “because it’s going to be a new thing and it’s going to be a different thing.”
Radcliffe himself is pretty certain that McLaughlin will out-perform him, saying he “is going to be better than me and better than I was,” adding that he hopes the kids “have the best time.”
As well as the main trio, several other cast members have been announced, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
Filming on the Harry Potter series began in summer 2025. Right now, the show is in its final stages of production. It’s set to premiere in 2027 on HBO Max, although no release date has been announced. Watch this space.