Mischief is about to be managed, and by that we mean there’s a Harry Potter TV series on the way!
As production begins – and a first look photo is released – we have rounded up all the details, including a revised release date. Read on …
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. Cameras started rolling in July 2025 with a first look photo of star Dominic McLaughlan.
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 HBO have confirmed the Harry Potter TV series will premiere on Max in 2027.
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 in the cast for the new Harry Potter series?
While the full cast list has not been announced, we do know several key players. Including 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.
Dominic McLaughlin will play the titular “boy who lived”, Alastair Stout will play Ron, and Arabella Stanton will play Hermione. More than 30,000 actors auditioned for these three roles since HBO launched an open casting call last year.
“We are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there,” Francesca and Mark said in a statement.
Additionally, we also know who will play Rubeus Hagrid, Quirinus Quirrell, Argus Filch, Molly Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Cornelius Fudge, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, 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.
Katherine Parkinson, best known for The IT Crowd, will play Mrs Weasley.
Lox Pratt will play Draco, Johnny Flynn will play Lucius, Leo Earley will play Seamus, Alessia Leoni will play Parvati, Sienna Moosah will play Lavender, and Bertie Carvel will play Fudge.
Bel Powley, of Morning Wars fame, and Daniel Rigby, of Eric and Ernie fame, will play Petunia and Vernon Dursley – Harry’s cruel aunt and uncle.
In July 2025 four more cast members were announced.
Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
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.
Are any of the original cast returning to the new Harry Potter series?
So far, none of the original cast members from the Harry Potter film franchise are returning for the series. However, that’s not to say that some actors are not returning to the Harry Potter universe.
In June 2025, it was announced that Tom Felton, who portrayed Harry’s Hogwarts nemesis Draco Malfoy, is returning to the Wizarding World and reprising his role as Draco on Broadway, in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
It is Tom’s Broadway debut, and fittingly, the play is set 19 years after the events of the book series; it’s been 14 years since the last film was released.
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 – as aforementioned, 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.
Nick Frost addressed the controversy surrounding JK in June 2025, telling The Observer that he had to disable comments on the Instagram post that announced he’d been cast as Hagrid.
Why? Trans-rights supporters flooded the comments section and heavily criticised him for working with JK.
However, the actor went on to make it very clear that he does not agree with JK’s views.
“She’s allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form,” Nick said.
And when asked if he’s worried JK’s controversial views will overshadow the Harry Potter TV series, he added:
“But maybe it shouldn’t blow over? We shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves.”
And finally, many believe John Lithgow 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 both Harry and James Potter come across as racist; in the books, Harry frequently suspects Snape of being evil, but his suspicions are driven by instinct rather than concrete evidence.
Also in the books, Snape and James have a schoolboy rivalry but, in the series, it may look like James is a racist bully now that Snape is being played by Paapa. If Harry and James are perceived as racist, it completely changes these characters and the overall storyline.
