The Wizarding World is about to welcome three new faces as HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series has finally cast its main characters. After what can only be described as an exhaustive search involving tens of thousands of young hopefuls, the network has selected Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout to bring Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley to life once again.
The casting decision follows the same approach Warner Bros. took with the original film franchise, choosing relatively unknown child actors rather than established stars. This strategy proved wildly successful before, launching Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint into international stardom. Now, a new generation of young performers gets their chance to step into these bigger-than-life roles.
All three actors are approximately ten years old, which aligns perfectly with the characters’ ages in the books. Among the three newcomers, Arabella Stanton brings some stage experience to the production, having played the title character in the West End production of Matilda in 2023. For McLaughlin and Stout, this will be their first major professional acting opportunity.
The young trio joins an ensemble of established actors who will populate Hogwarts. John Lithgow will take on the role of Albus Dumbledore, while Nick Frost will portray the beloved groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid.
Paapa Essiedu is somehow going to play Severus Snape, while Janet McTeer will step into the shoes of Professor McGonagall. Rounding out the faculty are Luke Thallon as the nervous Professor Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as the crabby caretaker Argus Filch.
The casting announcement comes at a time when the project continues to wade through the controversy surrounding creator J.K. Rowling and her public statements regarding transgender issues.
Warner Bros. executives have attempted to separate the adaptation from Rowling’s personal views, stating that the show will focus purely on the story without any hidden agendas. Despite the ongoing backlash, Rowling remains attached as an executive producer, though her level of creative involvement remains unclear.
HBO has described the adaptation as a faithful retelling of Rowling’s seven-book series, with plans for what they describe as a decade-long journey through the complete saga. Hopefully, this format will explore elements and storylines that the films, constrained by runtime, couldn’t fully develop.
Each season will correspond to one book, allowing for a depth and detail that only long-form TV can provide.
The production timeline suggests audiences won’t see the new Harry Potter TV series until 2026 at the earliest, giving the creative team more than enough time to cook up something worthy of the source material’s legacy. This extended development period should also allow the young actors time to grow into their roles, much as their predecessors did across the eight films.
The Harry Potter TV series will air on HBO and stream on Max (wait, HBO Max?), though an official title and specific release date remain under wraps.
