Passionate fans of the celebrated Harry Potter film franchise couldn’t hide their shock and apprehension when news first broke in 2023 that the bestselling J.K. Rowling books would once again be given the Hollywood treatment, this time on the small screen. The beloved series was both a critical and commercial knockout, grossing over $7.7 billion throughout its 10-year run and sparking a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, while also establishing its talented ensemble cast as bona fide superstars.
It’s been 14 years since the final installment in the franchise debuted, and HBO (now also Max) is setting out to do a spellbinding retelling of the classic novels, once again sharing the captivating story of the 11-year-old boy wonder who discovers he has been accepted to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he makes lifelong friends and must face off against the nefarious Voldemort. Let’s take a look at everything we know so far about the highly anticipated adaptation.
The Creative Team Behind the Harry Potter Series
Succession power duo Mark Mylod and Francesca Gardiner have signed on to headline the small-screen adaptation of the Harry Potter series, with Mylod serving as an executive producer in addition to directing multiple episodes, while Gardiner will act as its showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Gardiner won the coveted position after she was chosen to compete amongst a select few writers to pitch their respective ideas over what the show could look like, beating them out and nabbing the title.
Gardiner’s other notable credits include serving as an executive producer for Killing Eve and His Dark Materials, while also demonstrating her skills as a writer for Prime Video’s The Man In The High Castle and Starz’s The Rook. Mylod has frequently collaborated with HBO, having successfully worked on Entourage, Game of Thrones, and Succession, and has also directed a number of episodes of the second season of The Last of Us. Both Gardiner and Mylod have a history of working with streaming platforms and will certainly bring their expertise and insight to the exciting project.
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A Trio of New Faces Step Into the Iconic Roles of Harry, Ron, & Hermione
After auditioning over 32,000 kids, HBO has landed on its lead trio. Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, stepping into the role at the age of 11, the same age as Daniel Radcliffe when he first took on the part. McLaughlin is a Scottish actor who is already slated to appear in two shows before the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, but has not yet appeared in any film or TV series. Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger. The Harry Potter TV series will mark Stanton’s major screen debut. Still, the young British actor has already found success on stage after a successful run playing Matilda Wormwood in Matilda the Musical. Alastair Stout, who will play Ron Weasley, has only previously appeared in a commercial.
While some of the reactions to the Harry Potter cast from fans are exactly what you would expect from social media, this presents a significant opportunity for the young actors who will be making their debut in a big way. Time will only tell how well they fit the roles and the expectations put on them by a beloved franchise.
John Lithgow Will Tackle the Iconic Role of Dumbledore
With an illustrious career spanning 50 years and countless accolades to his name, like six Emmys and two Golden Globes, John Lithgow is set to tackle the beloved role of Albus Dumbledore in the HBO series. The role was previously portrayed by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the fan-favorite franchise. He told ScreenRant that being approached for the crucial role “came as a total surprise,” but added that he was “very excited” to work with the creative team, further expressing:
“I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid… But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
The decorated actor had his own reservations about rebooting such a beloved franchise and cherished character, a role he called a “great old man’s part,” with Lithgow further telling MovieWeb, “My first question is, ‘Do we really need this?’ There have been wonderful Harry Potter films and books. And people know the books by heart.” After news spread of his confirmed casting in the series, Lithgow was blown away by the extremely positive fan reaction and was touched by the warm reception, further revealing:
“I have never experienced such excitement from people just getting news. ‘Oh God, of course. Hey, you’re the perfect Dumbledore.’ Like, What? What? I must say, I was a huge fan of Michael Gambon, a man I never met, and I thought he was completely wonderful as Dumbledore.”
More Familiar Faces Confirmed To Be Joining Lithgow
Though rumors had long been swirling regarding potential actors playing major characters in the TV adaptation, the show has officially cast core roles after months of speculation. As anticipated, Paapa Essiedu is set to portray the enigmatic Severus Snape (formerly played by the great Alan Rickman), Hogwarts’ Professor of Potions, who harbors a love/hate relationship with Harry Potter throughout the course of the series. Essiedu is known for his Emmy-nominated role in the BBC’s I May Destroy You, as well as in shows like The Lazarus Project and Black Mirror: Demon 79.
Joining Essiedu is Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress and Professor of Transfiguration, who was brilliantly portrayed by Dame Maggie Smith in all eight movies. McTeer is a decorated film, television, and stage star, notably earning Oscar nominations for her work in Tumbleweeds and Albert Nobbs as well as in The Divergent franchise and The Menu. Her small screen roles include Jessica Jones, Sorry for Your Loss, and Ozark. Finally, comedy great Nick Frost will be stepping into the massive shoes of the beloved Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts’ gentle giant groundskeeper.
Known for his fan-favorite performances in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, the charming Frost will be a series regular alongside Essiedu, McTeer, and Lithgow. Finally, recurring/guest roles announced so far include Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show) as Argus Filch and theater performer Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell.
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J.K. Rowling Will Be Involved
Fans of the cherished franchise couldn’t help but express their dismay when it was revealed that author J.K. Rowling would be involved in the making of the TV show, as the once-adored writer fell out of favor with many people when she made hateful anti-trans comments in recent years. Many longtime lovers of the Wizarding World were left feeling conflicted over expressing their passion for the spellbinding series, with Rowling tainting the legacy of the pop culture juggernaut.
Despite the author’s now overwhelmingly negative reputation as a result of her controversial comments, which prompted original Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to speak out against her in support of the trans community, Rowling was nonetheless confirmed to be collaborating on the TV project. She will be serving as an executive producer for the series, with the Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, Casey Bloys, confirming the news in April 2023:
“J.K. is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful. We are in the Harry Potter business. The TV show is new and exciting, but we’ve been in the Harry Potter business for 20 years; this isn’t a new decision. We’re comfortable being in the Potter business. J.K. is a very online conversation… It’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into. Our priority is what’s on-screen.”
After garnering intense backlash online when news hit that she would be a major player in the development of the adaptation, Rowling herself released a statement regarding her involvement: “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation, which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.”
It will be very interesting to see what HBO does to bring the books to life (again). Given that it will have more time to flesh out the characters within the wondrous world, the show will hopefully be able to remain more faithful and inclusive to storylines and elements left out of the film franchise and honor the mega-hit movies.
Stream the Harry Potter films on Max.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
