1
Credit: HBOHBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot has cast a new actor for the role of Ron Weasley.
As announced in 2023, we’re set to receive a brand-new take on JK Rowling’s wizarding world in 2027. HBO’s planned adaptation will bring the Harry Potter novels to television with a season-per-book structure, allowing deeper exploration of Hogwarts and its lore.
Production began in July 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England, the same site where the original films were made. Early casting announcements include veteran actors like John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu as Snape, alongside a wider ensemble of Hogwarts staff and characters.
The series is set to run over the course of a decade. HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery (soon to become part of Netflix if a recent deal is completed) have emphasized the adaptation’s fidelity to the source material, aiming to expand on details omitted from the original films while building new narratives around beloved settings and supporting figures.
‘Harry Potter’ Golden Trio Casting Receives Update
With Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint out of the picture, our new Golden Trio consists of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
As per a recent casting update, Stout isn’t the only actor playing Ron Weasley.
Louis Shelton has been cast as an older version of the character, appearing in the scene where Ron looks into the Mirror of Erised and sees an older version of himself who is Head Boy and Gryffindor Quidditch Captain (via Redanian Intelligence).
Louis Shelton has been cast as an older version of Ron Weasley in the HARRY POTTER TV series
He will be Ron’s vision in the Mirror of Erised when he sees himself as Head Boy
Louis Shelton has been cast as an older version of Ron Weasley in the HARRY POTTER TV series
He will be Ron's vision in the Mirror of Erised when he sees himself as Head Boy
(via @RedanianIntel) pic.twitter.com/GpjzCsR2vi
— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) February 20, 2026
The actor has previously appeared in theatrical productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Hamlet, and Hedda Gabler.
In the same scene, Harry looks into the Mirror of Erised and sees both his parents, Lily and James Potter, as well as his extended family. The Harry Potter reboot has yet to unveil the actors behind Lily and James Potter, but they will go on to play critical parts in the series – especially if the reboot’s plans to expand upon its source material include delving further into the Marauders era.
The Mirror of Erised sequence was adapted for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), but when Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley explains what he sees, audiences are never shown the image itself.
What Else Can Fans Expect in Season 1 of ‘Harry Potter’?
While we obviously already know the overarching plot line of Harry Potter‘s first season, it sounds like we’re in for a few surprises.
Set images suggest that we will not only see Nicolas Flamel – the creator of the Sorcerer’s Stone, only mentioned in the book and film – and his wife, Perenelle, but that at least one sequence will see Dumbledore visiting the alchemist at his home.
Albus Dumbledore with Nicolas Flamel and his wife in the HARRY POTTER TV series
(via Terry Burton)
Albus Dumbledore with Nicolas Flamel and his wife in the HARRY POTTER TV series
(via Terry Burton) pic.twitter.com/trO5tcLEND
— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) October 8, 2025
For the first time ever, Charlie Weasley will also make it onto the screen. Ron’s second-oldest brother is mentioned in the films but never made the final cut for the big screen, with his (admittedly relatively minor) storylines eliminated from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).
Other Harry Potter characters making their on-screen debut include Dudley’s fellow bully and best friend, Piers Polkiss, and Hogwarts’ ghost-Professor of History of Magic, Professor Binns.
Controversy Continues Around ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot
Of course, not everyone is excited about this expansion of the wizarding world.
Many discussions around the upcoming HBO series stem from the involvement of J.K. Rowling, who remains an executive producer despite past comments about transgender issues. Critics argue her continued connection raises concerns about inclusion and representation in the new adaptation of the beloved franchise, with Dumbledore actor John Lithgow recently admitting that he finds it “ironic and somewhat inexplicable that Rowling has expressed such views.”
“I take the subject extremely seriously,” Lithgow told an audience at the Rotterdam film festival (via The Hollywood Reporter). “JK Rowling has created this amazing canon for young people, young kids’ literature that has jumped into the consciousness of society. Young and old people love ‘Harry Potter’ and the ‘Harry Potter’ stories. It’s so much about acceptance. It’s about good versus evil. It’s about kindness versus cruelty. It’s deeply felt.”
He added that he has never met the author and that Rowling is “not really involved in this production at all.”
Notably, Rowling retains an executive producer credit on the show.
Are you excited for the Harry Potter reboot?