32,000 children are revealed to have auditioned for HBO’s Harry Potter television series. The upcoming series will adapt all seven of the original Harry Potter books over the course of numerous seasons. Francesca Gardiner, who has previously worked on Succession, Killing Eve, and His Dark Materials, is the series’ showrunner. Game of Thrones and The Menu director Mark Myold is also involved in HBO’s Harry Potter as an executive producer and will direct multiple episodes.
Gardiner shared with Deadline that 32,000 children auditioned for the leading roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Filming is set to begin in summer 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios’ Leavesden location. No cast members have been officially announced yet, although Mark Rylance is reportedly in negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu is reportedly in talks to play Severus Snape. Gardiner described the show as a “very very specifically British 1990s production.”
What This Means For HBO’s Harry Potter Series
Harry, Ron, & Hermione Have Likely Been Cast
While no cast members have been officially announced yet, confirmation of when filming will begin, along with the number of children who auditioned, suggests that the Harry Potter series has found the actors who will play the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Similar to the casting of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson for the Harry Potter movies, these actors are likely not well-known yet, but that will quickly change once the official casting is revealed. With 32,000 children to choose from, Gardiner, Mylod, and their creative team had no shortage of options.
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How Much The Harry Potter Cast Was Paid At The Beginning & End
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Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson were all talented young actors and were further shaped by getting to work with the likes of Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and Ralph Fiennes. The three children cast to play HBO’s Harry, Ron, and Hermione will have a similar opportunity when getting to work with the actors who are ultimately cast in the roles of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and Voldemort. With filming beginning in summer 2025, the first episode featuring the young actors will likely debut in late 2026 or in 2027, which was already the show’s intended release window.
Our Take On The Number Of Children Who Auditioned
Interest In Harry Potter Has Not Faded
32,000 children auditioning for the three main Harry Potter characters demonstrates how highly sought after these roles are in the entertainment industry. There is still immense interest in the Wizarding World franchise and in the opportunity to star in HBO’s adaptation. It will be intriguing to see who Gardiner, Mylod, and their creative team have chosen as the faces of the Harry Potter television series, with these three actors growing up in each season as Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson did throughout the movies.
Source: Deadline
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is HBO’s remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling’s popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary.
- Seasons
- 1
- Directors
- Mark Mylod
- Showrunner
- Francisca Gardiner