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Everything We Know About HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series
Here is everything we know so far about HBO's 'Harry Potter' show, set to release on Max in 2026.
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Thirteen years after “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” released in theaters and brought an end to Harry’s journey on the big screen, the Harry Potter universe is gearing up for a return in the form of episodic television.
Led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod of “Succession,” HBO’s take on the beloved book-turned-movie-franchise aims to bring the magical world back to life as Harry Potter discovers he’s a wizard and leaves his muggle family behind to attend Hogwarts, a school of magic. Along the way, he befriends Ron and Hermione and becomes a significant part of a plot against Lord Voldemort, or as most call him, “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
The show comes nearly 30 years after J.K. Rowling published “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which was adapted into a film directed by Chris Columbus in 2001. In total, the original “Harry Potter” film series has grossed $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office.
Popular on VarietyHere is everything we know so far about HBO’s “Harry Potter” TV series.
Who has been cast in the show?
HBO has confirmed that John Lithgow (“Conclave,” “The Crown”), Janet McTeer (“Tumbleweeds,” “The White Queen”), Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You,” “Gangs of London”) and Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”) will be in the series. Lithgow is playing Albus Dumbledore, McTeer is playing Minerva McGonagall, Essiedu is playing Severus Snape and Frost is playing Rubeus Hagrid.
Additionally, Luke Thallon (Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt,” Rupert Goold’s “Patriots”) will play the recurring role of Quirinus Quirrell while Paul Whitehouse (“The Fast Show,” “Harry & Paul”) will play Argus Filch.
Lithgow previously joined Variety for an episode of “Know Their Lines,” where he discussed how his big question for the team behind the show was: “What is new about this?”
“I don’t know the Harry Potter canon by heart as 98% of the world’s population seems to,” Lithgow said. “It was a huge decision because it involves the next several years of my life. And I’m not young. I mean, this is the last big role I’ll probably play.”
He went on to explain his personal connection to the late Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in the final six movies. “I was a huge admirer of Michael Gambon. I never met him, but I always kind of idolized him. And Michael Gambon and I happened to have the same birthday, so I thought that was a kind of wizard-like touch,” Lithgow said.
Each of the seven books will make up an entire season. Gardiner and Myold have talked about seeing the show as a chance to expand on the books and movies without undoing their legacy. For example, they talked about their desire not to “mess with” the Great Hall look.
They are hoping to “really dig into the character arcs” and explore the various characters in Hogwarts that didn’t get as much screen time before, including staff and workers.
In recent years, one of the most controversial elements of the Harry Potter world has been J.K. Rowling’s vocal comments online against transgender and non-binary people. Nevertheless, Rowling will serve as an executive producer on the show.
At a press conference on Nov. 12, HBO chief Casey Bloys mentioned that Rowling was “very, very involved in the process of selecting the writer and the director,” with her anti-trans comments not affecting their decision to work with her.
Rowling has continued to make her beliefs known. After John Oliver spoke out earlier this month about the right wing’s “obsession” with banning transgender athletes, Rowling said on X: “Taking fashionable anti-women’s rights positions was the cost of doing business. But it’s time to read the fucking room.”
Not yet! It has been reported that around 32,000 kids auditioned in Ireland and the U.K. for the lead roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione. As of Dec. 5, Gardiner and Mylod were reviewing audition tapes.
The show is set to start filming in the summer of 2025 in Leavesden, where the movies were also filmed. HBO’s “Harry Potter” series is set to debut on Max in 2026.
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