(Left) Bel Powley in ’Turn Me On’. Photo: Vertical. (Right) Bertie Carvel in ‘The Crown’ Photo: Netflix / LeftBank.
Preview:
- The HBO ‘Harry Potter’ series has added nine new faces.
- Bel Powley, Bertie Carvel and Katherine Parkinson are among them.
- Francesca Gardiner is running the show.
Having locked in their Harry, Ron and Hermione plus a sprinkling of other casting, ‘Harry Potter’ TV series showrunner Francesca Gardiner and main director Mark Mylod have now found a whole host of other actors to fill some major and minor roles in the series.
HBO announced that the likes of Bel Powley (‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’), Bertie Carvel (‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’), Katherine Parkinson (‘The Boat that Rocked’), Johnny Flynn (‘Emma’) and Daniel Rigby (‘Black Mirror’) are aboard the show.
Powley and Rigby are playing Petunia and Vernon Dursley, AKA Harry’s aunt and uncle, who begrudgingly take the boy in as a baby following the death of his parents at the hands of Voldemort.
The couple –– who dote on overweight son Dudley –– make Harry sleep in a cupboard under the stairs and have no time for the magical world he’ll come to be a key part of.
Parkinson has scored the role of Molly Weasley, the caring, offbeat mother of the Weasley clan, who come to see Harry as a member of the family).
Carvel, meanwhile, is on board as Cornelius Fudge, the blustering Minister of Magic.
We’ll talk more about the others further down the page…
Related Article: ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Finds Young Cast to be Harry, Ron and Hermione
What’s the story of the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series?
(L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger,Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’ (2011). Photo: Warner Bros.
Here’s the official HBO statement on the show:
“The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. It will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters ‘Harry Potter’ fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will bring ‘Harry Potter’ and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
Gardiner scored the job of showrunner after HBO conducted an extensive search for the right writer/producer. Mylod will direct multiple episodes of the series, having worked on the likes of ‘Succession’ and ‘Game of Thrones.’
The show will be shot at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios facility outside London in the UK, where the movies were made.
Who else has been cast in the ‘Harry Potter’ series?
(Left) John Lithgow stars as Cardinal Tremblay in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved. (Right) Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
This latest batch of casting announcements follows word that Dominic McLaughlin will be Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton has the role of Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout is playing Ron Weasley.
The other new cast announced in the last day or so include newcomer Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy (Harry’s main rival at Hogwarts) and Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, his preening, manipulative father.
We also know that Leo Earley will be Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni scored the role of Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah is playing Lavender Brown, all three of them students at Hogwarts.
(Left) Nick Frost in ‘Shaun of the Dead’. Photo: Universal Pictures. (Right) Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Photo: Warner Bros.
Previously, we learned that John Lithgow would be Albus Dumbledore, alongside Janet McTeer (Professor Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (as Severus Snape) and Nick Frost (bringing gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid to screens), and they’ll make up part of the series regular cohort alongside the young newcomers.
In addition, Luke Thallon (whose main screen credit so far has been a tiny role in 2018’s ‘The Favourite’) and UK comedian and actor Paul Whitehouse (who US audiences might know from ‘The Death of Stalin’ but also has ‘Potter’ form after playing Sir Cadogan in third movie ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’) are recurring guest stars.
Thallon has nabbed the role of Professor Quirinus Quirrell, a key part of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,’ while Whitehouse is set to play Hogwarts caretaker and grumpy cat owner Argus Filch, who pops up throughout the stories.
What about the J.K. Rowling issue?
(L to R) Emma Watson and J. K. Rowling at the premiere of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
‘Potter’ creator and original novelist J.K. Rowling is a big consideration here, since A) she has final say on anything adapted from the books and B) is a problematic figure given her negative views on trans people.
This was HBO’s recent statement on the issue:
“Warner Bros. has been working with J.K. Rowling and in the ‘Harry Potter’ business for over 20 years. Her contribution has been invaluable. We are proud to once again tell the story of ‘Harry Potter’ — the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance. J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.”
Fiennes (yes, him again) weighed in on the issue when talking to The New York Times in 2022:
“J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”
When will the ‘Harry Potter’ series be on screens?
HBO CEO Casey Bloys recently said that he expects the show to debut in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes sense given that production isn’t likely to start until later this year.
(L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.