We've known for a while — too long, really — that Warner Bros. Discovery is working on a Harry Potter TV show based on J.K. Rowling's original books, with each book forming the foundation for a full season of TV. WBD made the announcement last year, before any substantial work had been done. Even now, they're only at the point of looking for a writer to oversee the project; anyone hoping to hear news in the near future about who's going to play Harry, Ron and Hermione is out of luck.
“We’re in conversations with a number of different writers to figure out who’s going to be the person to lead that franchise for us,” Warner Bros. executive Channing Dungey told Variety, confirming that any rumors about casting already being underway are inaccurate. “The first step for us is figuring out who this showrunner is going to be and once we get that locked down, then we can start having those conversations. The tricky part is the first two books, where the kids are on the younger end, around 11 or 12.”
Each of the seven Harry Potter books takes Harry and his friends through another year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is 11 years old when he begins his schooling in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone if you want to be all British about it) and 17 when his journey comes to an end in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Casting child actors who can go the distance can indeed be tricky. Warner Bros. got pretty lucky with the Harry Potter movies, as actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (playing the central trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione respectively) lasted the whole way through and became stars. But even there, Radcliffe was 12 when the first movie came out and 21 when the last one bowed, so playing 17 was a bit of a stretch. These days, TV often takes longer to make than movies, so the folks at Warner Bros. have their work cut out for them.
I also want to note that Dungey said they were looking for someone to lead the Harry Potter "franchise"; she didn't just say the Harry Potter show. There's already been talk of possible spinoff series down the line.
In any case, casting the adult characters from the Harry Potter books should be easier than the kids. If WBD is looking for advice of people to call, we have a few suggestions:
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