Casting rumors about the new Harry Potter series have been flying around for months, and HBO finally put a stop to them and made things official. They introduced the first roster of actors joining the cast, including John Lithgow, Nick Frost, Janet McTeer, and Paapa Essiedu.
The new series will star Lithgow (The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, McTeer (The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape, and Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid. They’ll be joined by two more recurring actors, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
As for the main trio—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger—HBO is yet to announce the names of the young actors playing these roles. The casting team reportedly received over 30,000 audition tapes, and they were planning to “workshop with some of our shortlisted candidates” in January.
HBO’s Harry Potter series is based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels, which previously inspired a successful film series starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. HBO’s new version has been described as “a faithful adaptation,” which will explore every corner of the Wizarding World and bring Harry Potter’s incredible adventures to new and existing audiences.