The Wizarding World Takes Shape: HBO Announces Key “Harry Potter” Series Casting Updates

HBO’s Harry Potter series is coming into focus. Following the casting news of the core three—Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Scout as Ron Weasley—nine new cast members have just been revealed.

The new cast includes the Malfoys and Dursleys, crucial characters in the Potterverse. The first season of the HBO series will cover the events in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The new cast members are, from left to right in the photo below, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. The search has been led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann. The series comes from showrunner and executive producer Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod on board as a director of multiple episodes and an executive producer.

The newly announced cast members join McLaughlin, Stanton, Scout, as well as John Lithgow (Conclave) as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (Ozark) as Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror) as Severus Snape, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as the beloved Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirinus Quirrel, and Paul Whitehouse (Harry & Paul) as Argus Filch.

HBO’s plans for their Potter series are hugely ambitious—seven seasons to cover J.K. Rowling’s seven novels.

“The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling and will feature an exciting and talented cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years,” HBO said in a statement. “Exploring every corner of the wizarding world, each season will bring Harry Potter and its incredible adventures to new and existing audiences and will stream exclusively on Max where it’s available globally, including upcoming markets such as Turkey, the U.K., Germany and Italy, among others. The original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch around the world.”

The series is set to begin filming this summer and is expected to premiere on HBO in 2026.