HBO is currently working on a Harry Potter TV show based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. Today, they dropped the news everyone has been waiting for: who will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the three young wizards/witches at the center of the story? We finally have the answer: from left to right above: Arabella Stanton is Hermione, Dominic McLaughlin is Harry, and Alastair Stout is Ron.
Harry Potter, of course, is the story of a young boy who lives a miserable life with his aunt and uncle before learning he's a wizard and being whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The books were huge successes on their own and only grew in popularity after a series of movies adapted Harry's adventures. The last movie was released in 2011, so it hasn't been that long. The pitch for this new show is that it will adapt Rowling's books in their entirety while leaving fewer things out.
The show is set to begin filming this summer; we've already seen massive sets going up. We also know who will play some of the key adult roles, including:
- John Lithgow is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts
- Paapa Essiedu will play Severus Snape, the cruel Potions Master
- Janet McTeer will play Minerva McGonagall, the tough-but-fair Transfiguration teacher
- Nick Frost will play the enormous, kindly groundskeep Hagrid
- Luke Thallon will play Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when Harry first comes to Hogwarts
- Paul Whitehouse will play Filch, the school's cantankerous caretaker
There are a lot of roles left to cast, but things are filling out. And none of them are more important than Harry, Ron and Hermione. If this show survives to adapt all of the books, these actors will be playing these parts for many years and could become public figures just as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson did thanks to the Harry Potter movies.
“After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron," producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said in a statement. "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”
Arabella Stanton and Dominic McLaughlin both have a couple credits to their name, but generally speaking, all three are pretty new to show business. Of course they are: they're children. I wish them the best as the show gets properly underway.
We don't have a firm release date for the Harry Potter show yet, but I'm betting it premieres on HBO and HBO Max either in 2027 or maybe in late 2026, if they want to step on it.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.