- The Harry Potter TV show has confirmed its primary cast
- John Lithgow, Nick Frost and Paapa Essiedu are among names
- Iconic British star plays Hogwarts groundskeeper
The Harry Potter TV show just took a major step forward by officially confirming big name stars like Paapa Essiedu and John Lithgow.
Lithgow will play Hogwarts head teacher Albus Dumbldore, while Black Mirror star Essiedu will play fan-favorite Severus Snape.
Read more: Everything we know about the Harry Potter TV show
Other key players include Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost as Hogwarts groundkeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Tumbleweeds’ Janet McTeer will also star as Gryffindor house head Minerva McGonagall.
Many of these names confirmed were already linked to roles in the hotly-tipped TV adaptation of author J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. However, this is the first time that HBO has set their casting choices in stone.
Read more: Harry Potter TV show: Lucius Malfoy star shares dream casting
Other newcomers to the show include The Fast Show comedian Paul Whitehouse. He’ll play Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch. Meanwhile, Patriots actor Luke Thallon is Professor Quirinus Quirrell, someone key to the plot of Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Who will play Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter TV show?
The names listed above are the first concrete casting details that we’ve received from HBO regarding their upcoming Harry Potter TV show. As it stands, it remains unclear which young actors will be playing the series three main lead roles.
The big-budget Harry Potter film franchise made stars of its young actors, with Daniel Radcliffe playing Potter and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
HBO has previously launched an open casting call to find its new stars. A reported 30,000 people were believed to have submitted themselves for the role but at the time of writing, no official casting news has been confirmed.
When is it released?
An official air date for the Harry Potter TV show has yet to be confirmed but it’s expected to debut at some point in 2026 or 2027.
With casting well underway, the show is set to film later in 2025, with Succession director Mark Mylod helming a number of episodes.
While it’s still early days, the show has been described as a “faithful adaptation” of Rowling’s seven book fantasy series.
