“You’re a wizard, Harry!”
HBO just announced that its new Harry Potter series is officially in production, unveiling the first look at Dominic McLaughlin in costume as the Boy Who Lived and Nick Frost dressed as Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant groundskeeper at Hogwarts.
The series is the first television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved children’s fantasy book series. Filming began at the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K—the same location where the original franchise filmed.
There has been a lot of reactions online to the “first look photo” of McLaughlin, running the gamut of mocking the photo because of its likeness to news anchors to firm approval of him as the new Harry.
For Frost, the consensus online is that he’s giving Hagrid cosplay vibes. There’s just something “off” with the beard.
Although, there are some dissenting opinions.
Along with the photo reveals, producers announced new casting: Rory Wilmot will play Neville Longbottom, Harry’s awkward and well-meaning classmate and Amos Kitson will play Dudley Dursley, Harry’s spoiled cousin.
Rounding out the adult cast is Louise Brealey, known for her work on Sherlock, who joins the series as Madam Rolanda Hooch, the Quidditch coach. Finally, Anton Lesser will portray Garrick Ollivander, the wandmaker.
This latest casting news follows another major announcement in May, when HBO introduced its new trio of leads. Alongside McLaughlin as the protagonist, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, the intelligent and bookish heroine originally portrayed by Emma Watson. And Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley, the loyal, red-haired best friend once brought to life by Rupert Grint.
The trio of child actors were chosen over 30,000 other children who auditioned for the series.
HBO’s Harry Potter series marks the first return to the original Wizarding World since the film franchise concluded in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie, which is a prequel to the Harry Potter films, came out in 2016, but isn’t primarily set in Hogwarts like the film series.
Currently, the show is slated for release in 2027.
