Mischief is about to be managed, and by that we mean, there’s a Harry Potter TV series on the way!
Read on for all the details…
Is there going to be a Harry Potter TV series?
Yes, Warner Bros. confirmed in April 2023 that they were going to make a live-action Harry Potter television series.
More than a year later, in June 2024, it was announced that Francesca Gardiner – the Emmy winner known for her work on Succession – would be the showrunner, and Mark Mylod – also an Emmy winner known for Succession – would work on the series as a director and an executive producer.
It was also confirmed that JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, and David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films, would be executive producers.
At this stage, there’s no exact release date but it’s expected the Harry Potter TV series will premiere on Max in 2026.
What is the plot of the Harry Potter series?
The TV series will be a “faithful adaptation” of the Harry Potter books and each of the seven books will be made into its own season.
If you haven’t read the books or seen the film adaptations, at the heart of the story is a young, orphaned wizard named Harry, who is mysteriously connected to the powerful but evil Lord Voldemort.
Who is the cast for the new Harry Potter series?
At this stage, the full cast list has not been announced.
So, we don’t yet know who will be playing the main trio made up by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – the roles that catapulted Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to fame in the early 2000s.
However, we do know who will play Rubeus Hagrid, Quirinus Quirrell, Argus Filch, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall.
Nick Frost, of Shaun of the Dead fame, will play Hagrid.
Luke Thallon, a notable English stage actor, will play Quirrell.
And five-time BAFTA winner Paul Whitehouse will play Filch.
Who is playing Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter series?
John Lithgow really needs no introduction… The veteran actor – who’s starred in several iconic projects like 3rd Rock from the Sun, Shrek and The Crown – has six Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and an Olivier Award under his belt.
Not to mention, he has also been nominated for two Oscars and a BAFTA Award.
Without further ado, John has been cast as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter TV series; a role that’s previously been played by the late Richard Harris and the late Michael Gambon in the Harry Potter films, and Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts films.
Is Paapa Essiedu playing Snape?
Yes, Paapa Essiedu has been cast as Severus Snape.
Paapa is an Emmy Award nominee best known for starring in I May Destroy You, Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project.
Snape was played by the late Alan Rickman in the films.
Who is the new McGonagall actress?
Janet McTeer is set to play Minerva McGonagall in the series.
Janet – best known for Tumbleweeds, The Menu and Me Before You – has a Tony Award, an Olivier Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) under her belt.
McGonagall was played by the late Maggie Smith in the films.
What’s the controversy?
The Harry Potter TV series has not been released yet but it’s already been plagued with a few controversies.
For starters, many fans have questioned why the series is being made so soon after the film adaptations were released – the final Harry Potter film came out only 14 years ago in 2011.
Secondly, and without going into too much detail, JK Rowling has become a controversial figure herself in recent years for her views on sex and gender.
And many have said they will “boycott” the new Harry Potter series because JK is involved as an executive producer.
In response, JK took to X and sarcastically Tweeted, “Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.”
Yikes.
And finally, many believe John Lithogow and Paapa Essiedu are the wrong choices for Dumbledore and Snape.
Online, several fans complained that John is American and therefore, won’t be able to pull off the quintessentially British Dumbledore; we’re guessing these fans didn’t see John’s excellent portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Crown.
As for Paapa, some think he’s too handsome to play Snape; the character is described in the books as a thin man with “sallow skin” and “yellow, uneven teeth.”
Others think that by making Snape a person of colour, it will make James Potter come across as a racist bully rather than a larrikin with a schoolboy rivalry – which completely changes the character and the storyline.
