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Credit: HBOThe Harry Potter franchise has undergone several major recastings in its time. Now, the latest version of the Wizarding World has replaced Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger with Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton.
The trio leads HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, which will retell J. K. Rowling’s seven books across seven seasons. But they aren’t the only familiar characters being recast.
John Lithgow is taking over as Albus Dumbledore from Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, while Janet McTeer replaces Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall. Paapa Essiedu is the new Severus Snape following Alan Rickman’s portrayal, and Nick Frost is stepping into the role of Rubeus Hagrid after Robbie Coltrane. Katherine Parkinson is also the new Molly Weasley, replacing Julie Walters. There are, of course, many more.
Related: New ‘Harry Potter’ Series Officially Recasts Lord Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes Replaced
Harry Potter Recastings
Some actors in the upcoming HBO series have already appeared in the Wizarding World.
Nicholas Hoult was recently announced as Gilderoy Lockhart for Season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter series, but the casting didn’t last long. Just two weeks later, Hoult had dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts, with Kit Harington announced as his replacement. Harington is already familiar with the character, having voiced Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.
And that brings us to another set of major Harry Potter recastings.
The new full-cast audiobooks, produced by Pottermore Publishing and Audible, began releasing in November 2025, with all seven now available.
Interestingly, the audio editions also recast Harry, Ron, and Hermione partway through the story. The first three books feature younger performers as the Golden Trio, before older actors take over from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. With the audiobooks being released in quick succession, the change allows the voices of Harry, Ron, and Hermione to better reflect their progression as the characters grow older.
Frankie Treadaway voices Harry, Max Lester voices Ron, and Arabella Stanton voices Hermione (yes, the same one who’s playing her in the HBO series) in the first three audiobooks.
From Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire onward, however, Jaxon Knopf takes over as Harry, Rhys Mulligan becomes Ron, and Nina Barker-Francis becomes Hermione.
The audio editions feature more than 200 performers, including Hugh Laurie as Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed as Snape, Matthew Macfadyen as Voldemort, Michelle Gomez as McGonagall, and Keira Knightley as Dolores Umbridge.
Deadline has reported that The Full-Cast Audio Editions has now sold more than 5 million copies.
As for the HBO series, there are no plans to recast Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The first season, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is set to premiere on Christmas Day, and HBO has now released a new trailer offering a much closer look at the return to Hogwarts.
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