Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- HBO Max head Casey Bloys confirmed the highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series will premiere in early 2027, updating previous 2026 predictions.
- Tech Advisor reports the Golden Trio cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron.
- The series plans to cover all seven books over a decade with notable casting including John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Grab your owl, cat or toad – Warner Bros. Discovery is currently working on a brand new series based on the story of Harry Potter, which will be coming to HBO Max. A few months ago, HBO revealed who would play the main characters in the series. Now, we finally learn the approximate premiere date of the show.
Francesca Gardiner has been named as showrunner and as an executive producer of the Harry Potter series. She has previously worked on Succession and His Dark Materials.
She’s not the only HBO heavyweight joining the show. Mark Mylod is onboard as an executive producer and director, a fellow alumni of Succession, plus Game of Thrones and The Last of Us.
We also know that JK Rowling is on board as an executive producer. This news has received lots of backlash due to the author’s transphobic views. She will be joined by Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
But what else do we know about this magical, new show? We’ve done the digging, so you don’t have to.
Harry Potter HBO Max series release date
In a recent interview with Deadline, Casey Bloys, the head of HBO Max, revealed that the Harry Potter series will premiere near the beginning of 2027.
Bloys stated:
We’ve been saying 2027. I would say, to narrow it down to some extent, early 2027. And now you’re going to ask, does that mean January, February, March, April, that we’re not ready to say. I’ll say early 2027.
HBO originally announced that it would release the Harry Potter series in 2026. That was according to Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav (via The Hollywood Reporter), who met with JK Rowling to discuss the show.
However, in September Casey Bloys, CEO and Chairman of HBO and Max, stated to Deadline that it was too early to give a confirmed release date, but it was looking likely that it would be late 2026 or even 2027.
There will be over a decade of content, providing that the show is successfully renewed each year.
Harry Potter Max series cast and crew
After a long wait, we have a first look at the actors playing the Golden Trio. They are:
- Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
- Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger
- Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley
In addition, six actors playing Hogwarts professors have been confirmed.
The actor portraying Albus Dumbledore, John Lithgow, has starred in The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment, Footloose, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter and The Crown… though many millennials will know him as the voice of Lord Farquaad from Shrek.
Janet McTeer will play Minerva McGonagall, and is best known for Ozark, Kaos, Albert Nobbs, The Menu and Woman in Black.
Severus Snape actor Paapa Essiedu is known for I May Destroy You, Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project.
Nick Frost has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid, and is best known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and most recently the Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew.
Paul Whitehouse plays the iconic Argus Filch, and most people will know him as one half of the comedy duo Harry & Paul. Luke Thallon is the least-known name of the bunch, coming from a predominantly theatre background, which makes him an ideal candidate for Quirrell.
The infamous Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father, will be played by Johnny Flynn, known for his role as Mr Knightley in the film adaptation of Emma and Dickie Greenleaf in the Netflix series Ripley.
The cast also features:
- Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Harry’s aunt
- Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Harry’s uncle
- Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Harry’s cousin
- Mickey McAnulty as Piers Polkiss, Dudley’s friend
- Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Ron’s mum
- Leigh Gill as Griphook, a goblin employed at the Gringotts Wizarding Bank
- Lambert Wilson as Nicolas Flamel, an alchemist
- Marthe Keller as Perenelle Flamel, Nicolas’ wife
- Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic
The other Hogwarts students will be played by:
- Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy
- Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan
- Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil
- Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown
- Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom
- Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley
- Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley
- Gabriel Harland as George Weasley
- Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley
- Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas
- Finn Stephens as Vincent Crabbe
- William Nash as Gregory Goyle
We will also see:
- Louise Brealey as Madam Hooch, the broomstick flying instructor
- Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, a wand maker
- Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms
- Sirine Saba as Pomona Sprout, Professor of Herbology
- Richard Durden as Cuthbert Binns, ghost-Professor of History of Magic
- Bríd Brennan as Madame Poppy Pomfrey
However, what remains a mystery is who will star as Voldemort. Cillian Murphy has been fan-cast for the role. Although the actor denies all rumours of playing He Who Cannot Be Named, it could happen. Fans’ hopes were revived by comments made by Ralph Fiennes, who played the Dark Lord in the Harry Potter films. Answering the media’s questions, the actor said that Cillian Murphy would be perfect for the role.
It’s unclear if Fiennes actually received this information from HBO, if these are his private speculations, or if the actor merely repeated rumours circulating online.
Harry Potter HBO Max plot
Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that the new series will dive deep into the original story covered in all seven books. The show will be told across ten years, so may be more than seven seasons long, defying the long-standing rumours of having one season per book.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Here’s the official statement from Warner on the new show:
The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years.
Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.
This means fans can expect to see characters and plot points that weren’t explored in the films, such as Peeves, S.P.E.W. and the Marauders’ backstory.
How to watch the new Harry Potter series
The show is being developed for Max, HBO’s streaming service available in the US, Latin America and parts of Europe. In America, prices start from $10.99 per month for ad-supported content.
There’s no Max here in the UK – most shows are syndicated on Sky and Now. However, by the time this show is released, Max may have expanded internationally. Either way, we’d expect a UK release to be on the cards, considering the British heritage of this franchise.
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