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Credit: Warner Bros.With one cast member now confirmed for the Harry Potter television series that’s headed for HBO, it’s fair to say that the reboot is well underway.
In February, it was announced that Hollywood A-lister John Lithgow (Shrek, Dexter, The Crown) will play Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the multi-season adaptation of JK Rowling’s eight Harry Potter books.
Dumbledore was previously played by Richard Harris (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets), Michael Gambon (Prisoner of Azkaban through Deathly Hallows Part 2), and Jude Law (Fantastic Beasts‘ The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore).
No other actors have been confirmed yet, however, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Paapa Essiedu (Men), and Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) being linked to Rubeus Hagrid, Severus Snape, and Lord Voldemort, respectively, are just a few casting rumors doing the rounds.
But amid all the speculation, we seem to have lost track of who will play the franchise’s three most iconic characters: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, who were played in the films by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, respectively.
Now, we have an update on where things are with casting the Hogwarts trio, as Warner Bros. has shed some light on its progress with filling the three roles, while also sharing other titbits of info fans are sure to appreciate, from the show’s premiere timeline to the episode count.
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“We are not yet ready to announce the kids; we’re still working our way through that process,” WBTV Group-WBD US Networks Chairman & CEO Channing Dungey told Deadline Hollywood. “I have to give you credit, you at Deadline are consistently breaking the news even when we’re not ready, so I feel like you are very up to speed on all things Potter in that way.”
When asked about casting dark wizard Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort, who was played by Ralph Fiennes in the films, Dungey said they are “still weighing a couple of different options,” adding that they’re “not quite ready there yet” and that it’s “an important role to get right.”
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As for a release date, it was expected that the series would premiere sometime this year, however, Dungey clarified that production isn’t getting underway until this summer, adding that it’s “still on track”. This suggests that the series won’t drop until 2027 at the earliest.
We know that the Harry Potter television series will span seven seasons across a 10-year period, but there’s been no insight into how many episodes will make up each season. Presumably, with each season dedicated in its entirety to one of JK Rowling’s books, that number will go far beyond the typical eight episodes as seen in many modern TV shows.
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Though he didn’t even give an estimation, Dungey said that the number of episodes depends on how “the last couple of scripts” will play out. He added, “[It’s] not something that we can share, because we’re still working on some finesses on the last couple of scripts, and the question becomes, do we think that it’s worth breaking one into two more? We should know shortly, I would think.”
The Harry Potter television series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (HBO’s Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). The series is also executive-produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive produce and direct multiple episodes.
“The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling,” the description on the official Harry Potter website (formerly WizardingWorld.com) reads.
It adds: “The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
Are you excited to see a retelling of the seven Harry Potter books by JK Rowling, this time in the form of a TV series? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!