New Harry Potter series: Who plays whom? Overview of actors

Berlin. Rumors have been rife for a long time, but now it's clear in many cases who will play whom in the planned "Harry Potter" series. On April 14, 2025, the US broadcaster HBO officially confirmed several key roles in the eagerly awaited series for the first time – and, as expected, several well-known actors and actresses are on the list.

In addition to John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (“The White Queen”) will also appear as Minerva McGonagall , Paapa Essiedu (“Gangs of London”) as Severus Snape and Nick Frost (“Truth Seekers”) as Rubeus Hagrid .

Other roles have also been cast: Paul Whitehouse (“The Fast Show”) takes on the role of caretaker Argus Filch , Luke Thallon (“Leopoldstadt”) plays Quirinus Quirrell .

All known cast members at a glance:

• John Lithgow as Professor Dumbledore
• Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall
• Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape
• Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid
• Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch
• Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrell

The casting sparked mixed reactions on social media. John Lithgow's non-British background was particularly criticized—previous films have relied exclusively on British actors. One user on X wrote: "I really like Lithgow, but the films were so meticulously cast with British actors that it feels a bit out of place." Users on Instagram also commented skeptically: "The Trinity Killer with a magic hat?"

The response to Nick Frost as Hagrid was much more positive. One fan wrote: "Nick Frost would be perfect to step into Robbie Coltrane's shoes. He would certainly make Robbie proud."

John Lithgow himself announced in February 2025 that he would play Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the first cast member in a new TV series about the adventures of the wizard's apprentice Harry Potter. The series is expected to take ten years to produce. "I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I still said yes," the 79-year-old told the online portal "ScreenRant."

The actor follows in the footsteps of Richard Harris (1930-2002) and Michael Gambon (1940-2023), who played the head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry Potter's mentor in the Harry Potter films. Lithgow was most recently seen in the Vatican thriller "Conclave," which is nominated for eight Oscars.

Many details about the series from US broadcaster HBO are still unknown. According to a report in the industry magazine "Variety," all seven books by author J.K. Rowling will be adapted into films over seven seasons. According to HBO, approximately 32,000 children have registered for the audition for the new series.

In 1997, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," the first volume in the saga about the wizard student and the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was published. With more than 600 million books sold in dozens of languages, "Harry Potter" is considered the world's most successful literary series.

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