HBO’s <i>Harry Potter</i> TV Series: What We Know So Far

In the immortal words of Cornelius Fudge, “He’s back.” Fewer than 15 years after young wizard Harry Potter last appeared in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2—and no matter how much vitriol has followed—the IP monster has demanded its supper, and in return Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has offered the tested-and-true Wizarding World tasting menu. But there’s a twist! This time, the reboot will take the form of a seven-season television series (rather than an eight-film franchise) and will span a full decade. And there’s more! A new cast will fill the old roles made famous by the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Co.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we know so far.

If you’ve watched the original film series, then you already know. Zaslav has promised that the reboot will be a faithful adaptation of the seven books in author J.K. Rowling’s series—meaning it will tell the exact same story as the movies, though with greater detail. Each season of the HBO series will cover the material in one of the books, so we can expect seven seasons in total.

Here’s how Max is describing the series: “The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

The cast will be entirely “new,” meaning—thankfully—Radcliffe and friends won’t be expected to undergo any CGI de-aging. Instead, the roles they made famous will go to newcomers Dominic McLaughlin (as Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (as Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (as Ron Weasley).

Of the hunt for these actors, showrunner/executive producer Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod released the following statement in May 2025: “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. 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.”

Although fans would love to see the original members make a cameo in the remake, Radcliffe told ComicBook.com in July 2023 that he won’t be pursuing an opportunity to be in the show. “My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh, and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” he said. “So I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”

The announcement of these new lead actors followed multiple other rounds of casting reveals, starting in April 2025. The company first shared the identities of four adult actors, three of whom had already been reported by Variety and Deadline. They were as follows:

• John Lithgow (The Crown, Conclave) will play Professor Albus Dumbledore, the beloved Hogwarts Headmaster. Lithgow had previous confirmed his casting during an interview with Screen Rant, telling the outlet, “It was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid. But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
• Janet McTeer (The Old Man) will play Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress, and head of Gryffindor House.
• Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Black Mirror) will play Professor Severus Snape, the Hogwarts Potions Master.
• Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) will play Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper.

HBO also announced the cast for two smaller but nevertheless essential roles:

• Luke Thallon (Present Laughter) will play Professor Quirinus Quirrel, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone.
• Paul Whitehouse (The Change) will play Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker.

On June 9, nine more cast members were added to the ensemble:

• Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd) will play Molly Weasley, the matriarch of the Weasley family.
• Lox Pratt (Lord of the Flies) will play Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts student belonging to the Slytherin house.
• Johnny Flynn (EMMA.) will play Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father.
• Bel Powley (The King of Staten Island) will play Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter’s aunt and the matriarch of the Dursley family.
• Daniel Rigby (Eric & Ernie) will play Vernon Dursley, Harry Potter’s uncle and patriarch of the Dursley family.
• Bertie Carvel (The Tragedy of Macbeth) will play Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
• Leo Earley will play Seamus Finnigan, a Hogwarts student belonging to the Gryffindor house.
• Alessia Leoni will play Parvati Patil, a Hogwarts student belonging to the Gryffindor house.
• Sienna Moosah will play Lavender Brown, a Hogwarts student belonging to the Gryffindor house, and best friend of Parvati Patil.

On July 14, additional cast members were announced:

• Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Harry’s friend and a Hogwarts student belonging to the Gryffindor house.
• Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Harry’s cousin.
• Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, the Flying instructor at Hogwarts.
• Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, a wandmaker.

On August 19, the new members of the Weasley family were announced:

• Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley.
• Gabriel Harland as George Weasley.
• Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley.
• Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley.

Gardiner and Mylod, who each have worked on Succession, were enlisted for the new series, Variety reported in June 2024. They are both serving as executive producers, along with Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s Neil Blair, Brontë Film and TV’s Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. Gardiner will also be the writer and showrunner, while Mylod is set to direct some episodes. In addition, Killing Eve writer Laura Neal has joined the writers’ room.

The Harry Potter series is confirmed to release in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.

During a conference in December 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette hinted that season 1 would drop in early 2027. “As you look at ’26 and into ’27, you begin a 10-year journey on the Harry Potter series, which we’re super excited about,” he said, per Deadline. “And I’d argue, may be the biggest event by the time we get to that series.”

In April 2025, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that HBO is eyeing to begin production on the first season by mid-2025. That timeline tracks with the recent announcement of the lead child actors. As The Hollywood Reporter shared in April 2025, “Given the characters are only 11 years old in the first book, it would make sense to cast the roles as close to the start of production as possible.”

Yes! On July 14, HBO announced that production was officially underway. They also shared a first look image of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter:

Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter.

Without digging too deep into the Discourse™️, we can summarize two main reasons why some audiences aren’t convinced a Harry Potter reboot is, shall we say, necessary:

One is that Rowling will be involved not only as the source material’s creator but as an executive producer, meaning she’ll have some creative control over the reboot and will, of course, benefit financially from its success. That’s not good news for many fans who consider her trans-exclusionary feminism to be a rot in an otherwise beloved franchise.

The second is that the story is far from new, nor is it particularly old. Harry Potter is practically inescapable in modern life. Whether it’s his books or his films or his merchandise or his theme parks or his exhibits or his video games, the boy with the lightning bolt scar is astoundingly difficult to avoid. A certain air of exhaustion (not to mention anger) has permeated even the most devoted corners of the Wizarding World fanbase. What more can really be squeezed out of not just the same franchise, but the same story?

Addressing the conversation around Rowling herself in a presentation timed to the series’ initial announcement, Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, had only this to add: “J.K. is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful. We are in the Harry Potter business. The TV show is new and exciting, but we’ve been in the Harry Potter business for 20 years; this isn’t a new decision. We’re comfortable being in the Potter business. J.K. is a very online conversation … it’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into. Our priority is what’s onscreen. The Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive about love and acceptance, and that’s our priority, what’s on the screen.”

This story will be updated.