HBO’s long-asked-for Harry Potter TV adaptation is coming to screens at Christmas 2026. The plan is simple: each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books becomes its own season. That means a season for Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows.
The casting leaned heavily on fresh faces. HBO auditioned more than 32,000 children to find its Harry, with executive producer Mark Mylod and the casting team reportedly watching 500 to 1,000 tapes a day during the search.
Main trio
Harry Potter — Dominic McLaughlin
Original actor: Daniel Radcliffe
Dominic McLaughlin was chosen as Harry. He previously appeared in the Sky comedy Grow, which also involved Nick Frost, who will play Hagrid in the series. McLaughlin is a newcomer with limited screen credits but landed the lead after a massive audition process.
Ron Weasley — Alastair Stout
Original actor: Rupert Grint
Alastair Stout, with no prior professional credits, will play Ron. Casting notes flagged his resemblance to a young Rupert Grint.
Hermione Granger — Arabella Stanton
Original actor: Emma Watson
Arabella Stanton moves from stage to screen after playing Matilda in the West End production of Matilda: The Musical. This marks her TV debut in a high-profile role.
Key Hogwarts staff
Albus Dumbledore — John Lithgow
Original actors: Richard Harris, Michael Gambon
Lithgow plays the wise and powerful headmaster who sets much of Harry’s world into motion.
Severus Snape — Paapa Essiedu
Original actor: Alan Rickman
Essiedu takes on the potions professor and Slytherin head. Snape’s cold exterior and complicated loyalties are central to the story.
Minerva McGonagall — Janet McTeer
Original actor: Maggie Smith
McTeer plays the stern transfiguration professor and Gryffindor head, an early supporter of Harry.
Rubeus Hagrid — Nick Frost
Original actor: Robbie Coltrane
Frost portrays the half-giant who first tells Harry he is a wizard and remains a loyal friend to the trio.
Filius Flitwick — Warwick Davis
Original actor: Warwick Davis (original films)
Warwick Davis is the first actor from the original film series to return, reprising his role as the charms professor Filius Flitwick. He will not be returning as Griphook in this show.
Pomona Sprout — Sirine Saba
Original actor: Miriam Margolyes
Saba, trained at RADA, plays the Herbology professor who loves plants and teaches with care.
Poppy Pomfrey — Bríd Brennan
Original actor: Gemma Jones
Brennan will be Hogwarts’ matron, the healer who runs the hospital wing.
Quirinus Quirrell — Luke Thallon
Original actor: Ian Hart
Thallon plays the nervous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who hides secrets beneath a polite exterior.
Argus Filch — Paul Whitehouse
Original actor: David Bradley
Whitehouse is cast as the strict caretaker who patrols the castle with his cat. Filch is a squib, meaning he has no magic despite a wizarding family background.
Students and families
Draco Malfoy — Lox Pratt
Original actor: Tom Felton
Pratt plays Harry’s rival from Slytherin. He previously has a role lined up in a new adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
Dudley Dursley — Amos Kitson
Original actor: Harry Melling
Kitson makes his debut as Harry’s spoiled cousin who torments him early on.
Petunia Dursley — Bel Powley and Vernon Dursley — Daniel Rigby
Original actors: Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths
Powley and Rigby play Harry’s aunt and uncle. Petunia raised Harry under harsh rules, and Vernon is the driller-company uncle who dislikes anything magical.
Molly Weasley — Katherine Parkinson
Original actor: Julie Walters
Parkinson portrays the warm but fierce mother figure who opens her home to Harry.
The Weasley siblings
Cast: Gracie Cochrane as Ginny; Tristan Harland and Gabriel Harland as Fred and George; Ruari Spooner as Percy
The family remains a safe haven for Harry and stands for equality in the wizarding world.
Neville Longbottom — Rory Wilmot
Original actor: Matthew Lewis
Wilmot is cast as the clumsy but brave Gryffindor who grows a lot over the series.
Dean Thomas — Elijah Oshin
Original actor: Alfred Enoch
Oshin plays Harry’s classmate who has more backstory in the books than in the films.
Parvati Patil — Alessia Leoni
Original actor: Shefali Chowdhury
Leoni joins the Gryffindor students and later fights alongside the central group.
Seamus Finnigan — Leo Earley
Original actor: Devon Murray
Earley plays the classmate known for explosive attempts at magic and loyalty to friends.
Seamus and Slytherin sidekicks
- Vincent Crabbe: Finn Stephens (original: Jamie Waylett)
- Gregory Goyle: William Nash (original: Josh Herdman)
Other notable roles
Garrick Ollivander — Anton Lesser
Original actor: John Hurt
Lesser plays the famous wandmaker who supplies Harry’s first wand.
Cornelius Fudge — Bertie Carvel
Original actor: Robert Hardy
Carvel portrays the Minister of Magic who proves unreliable when darker events return.
Madam Rolanda Hooch — Louise Brealey
Original actor: Zoë Wanamaker
Brealey plays the Quidditch referee and flying instructor.
Professor Cuthbert Binns — Richard Durden
Original actor: (absent from films)
Durden brings to life the ghost professor of History of Magic, a character not shown in the original film series.
Griphook — Leigh Gill
Original actor: John Hurt (as Ollivander), Jamie Waylett portrayed another role previously
Leigh Gill plays the goblin banker who has an important part in the later storylines. Warwick Davis will not play this character in the series.
Behind the camera
The series is written and showrun by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod executive produces and directs multiple episodes. The show is produced for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers include J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
This adaptation mixes familiar names with many new actors, aiming to expand the story across seasons with more room for detail. Expect the show to arrive for the holidays in 2026, starting with the first year at Hogwarts.
