Key Insights
- Production has started for the new Harry Potter TV series at HBO.
- The series will premiere in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.
- New actors have been cast for iconic roles, including the Weasley siblings.
- The show aims to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s seven novels into a season.
The Harry Potter franchise is getting rebooted as a TV series at HBO, and earlier this week it was officially announced that production has commenced on the series, with filming taking place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, UK. The press release noted that the series “will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where it’s available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK.” Now, the names of the actors that have been cast as Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny Weasley have been revealed, along with an image of the Weasley kids together!
We’ve previously heard that the cast includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as his father Lucius Malfoy, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia Dursley and Vernon Dursley, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley. As minister for magic Cornelius Fudge, we have Bertie Carvel. As Hogwarts students Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown, the show has cast newcomers Leo Earley, Alessia Leoni, and Sienna Moosah. Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout star as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Along with the “filming is underway” announcement came the revealing of more names: Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
Now we know that twins Tristan and Gabriel Harland will play Fred and George Weasley, with Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley and Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley. Here they are, along with their brother Ron:
Each season of the Harry Potter TV series is said to cover one of J.K. Rowling’s novels for a total of seven seasons. While the movies were able to fit quite a lot in, there were plenty of moments cut from the novels that the TV series will finally be able to bring to life. Last year, HBO released a statement saying, “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.” The first season will be filming for ten months and is expected to consist of either eight or six episodes. The series is said to be set in the 1990s.
The synopsis for the show says,“The franchise follows the life of a young wizard, the titular Harry Potter whose parents died under mysterious circumstances when he was very young. He was forced to live a life of misery and servitude to his aunt and uncle and their awful son before he was freed from his gilded cage when Hagrid extended an invitation that changed his life forever. The adventure begins as Harry and his magical friends Ron and Hermione become students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who come of age in a time of extreme turmoil where the threat of war looms close.”
Succession‘s Francesca Gardiner serves as a writer and showrunner on the series while Mark Mylod signed on to executive produce and direct multiple episodes. The project was originally developed solely for HBO Max but made the leap to HBO last summer.
Are you looking forward to the Harry Potter TV series? Are you glad to see that the Weasleys have been cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
