In the 2000s, Harry Potter-mania swept the globe. As a new book in the iconic series was released every few years or so, and the film adaptations began, Harry Potter was everywhere. The series saw a stratospheric rise in popularity, and became a huge source of inspiration for subseqent fantasy stories, both literary and cinematic.
But now, the Harry Potter series is embarking on a brand new adaptation in the audio medium. The Harry Potter: Full-Cast Audio Editions is an audiobook series from Audible that's gearing up for production, and recently added established actors from other series, such as Game of Thrones and Pirates of the Caribbean, to its illustrious cast.
Kit Harington and Iwan Rheon join Harry Potter audiobook
These new cast additions include Kit Harington as Professor Lockhart, Keira Knightley as Professor Umbridge, Iwan Rheon as Professor Lupin, Simon Pegg as Arthur Weasley, James McAvoy as Mad-Eye Moody, and Matt Berry as Sir Cadogan.
Notably, many members from this group of heavy-hitters have signed on to play relatively limited roles, as many of these aforementioned adult characters are either not heavily featured or primarily spotlighted in a single one of the seven books. This and the very nature of audiobooks versus a fully filmed production, such as the one HBO is mounting this very moment, means that these big-name actors can participate in the project with far less of a strenuous commitment of time.
These ensemble cast readings of the books are just one of a number of new Harry Potter projects in the works, alongside the likes of HBO's upcoming television series reboot of the property. Numerous Harry Potter projects seem to be taking off simultaneously now, attempting to hit the sweet spot with fans of the series who were left so sorely burned by the Fantastic Beasts prequel trilogy.
Mark Addy had already been cast
While the core cast of the Harry Potter audibooks was already set, with actors such as Frankie Treadaway as Harry Potter, Max Lester as Ron, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, Hugh Laurie as Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed as Snape, and Daniel Mays as Dobby, these new additions serve to flesh out the ensemble, even though some of them are voicing characters that won't be seen until several books into the story.
Also, as we previously reported, Game of Thrones alum Mark Addy had been cast in the audio series as Hagrid.
Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions is set to begin releasing on Nov. 4 of this year, when the full edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be released. Following that, each book will receive a staggered release, with Chamber of Secrets releasing a month-and-a-half later, and Prisoner of Azkaban coming a month after that.
If all goes according to plan, fans should have the full series by May 12, 2026, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is currently set for release.