For a lot of Harry Potter fans, no actors could ever live up to the original cast of the cherished film franchise. For others, a new TV adaptation is an opportunity for greater detail and faithfulness to JK Rowling’s magical seven-book series.
Much of the guessing and speculation can be put to rest now, as HBO has made its first official casting announcement for some of the wizarding world’s most notable characters in its forthcoming Harry Potter series.
The company announced on Monday that John Lithgow would play Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu would be Severus Snape, Janet McTeer would be Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost would appear as Rubeus Hagrid. All four actors will be series regulars.
Meanwhile, Luke Thallon was announced to play Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse to play Argus Filch, both in guest and recurring roles.
The series, designed to run for more than a decade, comes from the writer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director and executive producer Mark Mylod of Succession.
“We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch,” the pair said. “We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.”
The US actor Lithgow, who most recently starred in the Bafta- and Oscar-winning papal election thriller Conclave, will take over the role played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the films. Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is a caring and powerful wizard who mentors Harry in his fight against the dark lord Voldemort.
It had previously been reported that Mark Rylance was in the running for the part. But Lithgow – a veteran of stage and screen, and winner of six Emmy awards (including for his role as Winston Churchill in The Crown), two Golden Globes, an Olivier and a Tony – announced his own casting in February.
Essiedu received an Emmy nomination for his role in the critically acclaimed series I May Destroy You and also starred in series such as The Lazarus Project and Gangs of London. He will transform into the Hogwarts potions professor Snape, who was played by Alan Rickman in the films. Harry Potter is constantly at odds with Snape, who is hostile to him but is later revealed to have been bullied by Harry’s father, James, while harbouring an unrequited love for his mother, Lily.
McTeer, a past winner of numerous accolades including a Tony, an Olivier and a Golden Globe, will be McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house – a role played by Maggie Smith in the films. McTeer has appeared in films including Tumbleweeds, Wuthering Heights and The Menu.
Meanwhile Frost, best known for his roles in the comedy films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, will take over from Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper and half-giant who becomes a faithful friend and ally to Harry and his friends.
The new casting announcement will undoubtedly draw much reaction from Potter fans. There had already been division after rumours first emerged that Essiedu was being considered to play Snape, who is described in the books as having “greasy, shoulder-length black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin”. Others were concerned that a US star had been cast to play Dumbledore.
The casting for the trio of main characters – Harry, Hermione and Ron – is yet to be announced, though it is likely they will be played by newcomers after Warner Bros launched an open casting call for children aged between nine and 11 last autumn. There have also been rumours that Cillian Murphy is being considered to play Voldemort.
According to HBO, the series will be a “faithful adaptation” of the books by Rowling, who serves as an executive producer. With a new cast, the show will delve into more detail than the eight feature films spawned by the epic franchise, released between 2001 and 2011.
The series will be “full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years”, Max, the newly branded streaming service for HBO, promised in a statement upon the series announcement in April 2023.
“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.”
Rowling has ownership over key aspects of the Harry Potter intellectual property, including the characters. But her involvement in the show has been divisive because of her opinions about trans people, which have drawn criticism from some of the franchise’s original stars. The writer’s expansive Harry Potter world – including the books, films, video games and theatre – is worth an estimated £20bn ($26bn).
The series is expected to debut on Max and the HBO and Warner Bros Discovery streaming service in 2026, almost 30 years after the first book in Rowling’s bestselling series was published in 1997, and 15 years after the final film landed on screens.
