We're still waiting to see which young actors HBO may recruit to play Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but we'll update this list as soon as it's confirmed. For now, get to know HBO's Harry Potter cast, who they're playing, and where you've seen them before. Mark Mylod, a key figure on HBO's Succession , will serve as an executive producer and direct several episodes.
The series will be overseen by showrunner, writer, and executive producer Francesca Gardiner, a veteran of programs like Killing Eve and His Dark Materials. Rowling will also step into an executive producer role. A press release emphasizes how the new series will serve as a spacious vessel for J.K. Rowling 's beloved book series, claiming it will be filled with "fantastic detail" as it "[explores] every corner of the wizarding world."
In April, HBO announced that John Lithgow , Janet McTeer , Paapa Essiedu, and Nick Frost would join the main cast as Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and Rubeus Hagrid, respectively. They also confirmed two guest roles: Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. Donning the robes made famous by Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , and Rupert Grint are a trio of newcomers that, per a statement from showrunner Francesca Gardiner, were chosen from "tens of thousands of children" who auditioned after HBO issued an open casting call .
They include Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. After over a year of speculation, HBO has shared multiple casting announcements for the upcoming Harry Potter series, including its new Harry, Hermione, and Ron. 01 of 09 Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter in the upcoming HBO series.
Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Dominic McLaughlin will play series protagonist (and cultural icon) Harry Potter in the upcoming series. McLaughlin's only other screen credit is the upcoming film Grow, in which he'll appear alongside Nick Frost, the Harry Potter series' new Hagrid. When we first meet Harry, he's an orphan living miserably with his aunt, uncle, and cousin.
On his 11th birthday, he's visited by Hagrid, who whisks him away to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about his family history, gets his first wand, meets his new best friends, and confronts He Who Shall Not Be Named for the first time. 02 of 09 Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger in the upcoming HBO series. Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Arabella Stanton's role as Hermione, a clever but socially insecure Hogwarts student, marks the young actress' onscreen debut.
Hermione is initially written off by Harry as arrogant, but the pair become close pals after they defeat a troll in the girls' bathroom along with Ron. 03 of 09 Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley in the upcoming HBO series. Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Alastair Stout will make his screen debut as Ron Weasley, Harry's red-haired best friend with a massive family of fellow wizards.
When we meet Ron, he's a shy boy with a sweet tooth and a knack for chess. That latter skill is especially useful when he joins Harry and Hermione on a search for the Sorcerer's Stone. 04 of 09 John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore Richard Harris, John Lithgow, and Michael Gambon.
Peter Mountain/Warner Bros.; Deadline/Deadline via Getty; Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. John Lithgow elicits respect, fear, and laughter in equal measure, having scored Emmys for three very different roles — as Winston Churchill on The Crown (2016–2019), the Trinity Killer on Dexter (2009), and Dick Solomon on sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun (1996–2001). He's also a two-time Oscar nominee for turns in The World According to Garp (1982) and Terms of Endearment (1983). Lithgow remains a compelling figure on film and TV, having recently appeared in Oscar-nominated movies like Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Conclave (2024), as well as FX's The Old Man (2022–2024).
Every 'Harry Potter' and 'Fantastic Beasts' movie, ranked Tracing Harry Potter's rise in pop culture Lithgow plays Albus Dumbledore, the wise Hogwarts headmaster and founder of the Order of the Phoenix. Richard Harris originally portrayed Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films. After his death in 2002, Michael Gambon stepped into the role.
Jude Law later played a younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Lithgow opened up about the role on a recent episode of the Smartless podcast. "You know, Dumbledore, he's kind of this nuclear weapon," Lithgow said.
"He only goes off very, very occasionally. And I don't think it's gonna be that hard a job." The 79-year-old Lithgow went on to say that playing Dumbledore across seven or eight years is "a wonderful way to grow old as an actor," adding, "I mean, the alternative is to just be hauled out once a year to play an Alzheimer's patient [with] an awful lot of weeping middle-aged children, you know."
05 of 09 Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape Paapa Essiedu at 2024's Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards; Alan Rickman as Snape. Dave Benett/Getty; Murray Close/Warner Bros. British actor Paapa Essiedu cut his teeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company and found success on the small screen opposite Michaela Coel on the BBC's I May Destroy You (2020). He received Emmy and British Academy Television Award nominations for his performance, and went on to appear in series like Gangs of London (2020–2022), Black Mirror (2023), and Black Doves (2024) as well as the films Men (2022) and The Outrun (2024).
Essiedu will play Severus Snape, the Slytherin anti-hero famously played by the late Alan Rickman. In a note to Rickman, Rowling called Snape "my most complex character." It will be interesting to see how Essiedu's Snape manifests in this telling, as the actor will come into the role knowing his full arc.
Rickman, who was given a key piece of information about the character by Rowling before the rest of the cast, often spoke about how that helped shape his performance, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2011, "I was always aware of my place in the story even as others around me were not.” 06 of 09 Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall Janet McTeer at The Old Sessions House in London; Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall. Kate Green/Getty; Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Janet McTeer is the recipient of a Golden Globe, a Tony, and an Olivier Award, as well as two Oscar nominations for her work in Tumbleweeds (1999) and Albert Nobbs (2011). Her other notable credits include the films Velvet Goldmine (1998), Maleficent (2014), and The Menu (2022), as well as series like Jessica Jones (2018) and Ozark (2018–2020).
This year, you can see her on the Paramount+ series MobLand and sprinting alongside Tom Cruise in the upcoming Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. McTeer plays Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts professor and head of Gryffindor House. The character is as loyal as she is strict, serving as a mentor while instilling a healthy fear in her students.
Maggie Smith portrayed the character in the film franchise, while Fiona Glascott played a young Minerva in the Fantastic Beasts films. 07 of 09 Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid Nick Frost at Curzon Soho in London; Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid. Lia Toby/Getty; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Nick Frost came up alongside his pal Simon Pegg on the comedy series Spaced (1999–2001) before appearing in films like Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013).
He recently voiced droid SM-33 on the Star Wars series Skeleton Crew (2024–present), and will next appear in Disney's live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. The half-giant Hagrid is among the first characters we meet in the Harry Potter universe. A Hogwarts groundskeeper with a flowing brown beard, Hagrid was previously played by Robbie Coltrane, who died in 2022.
08 of 09 Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell Luke Thallon at 'The Tomorrow Gala For the Old Vic'; Ian Hart as Quirrell. Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Luke Thallon is a relative newcomer to the screen, with only a couple of small credits to his name. That said, he received rave reviews for his turn as Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2025 production.
He'll play Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell, a key role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The role was portrayed by Ian Hart in the film franchise.
