HBO’s Harry Potter series has been in the works for quite some time, and the network finally shared some official casting news with the world. After months of speculations, they confirmed the casting of John Lithgow, Nick Frost, Janet McTeer, and Paapa Essiedu.
HBO’s new Harry Potter adaptation will star John Lithgow (The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid, in addition to Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Francesca Gardiner, who serves as writer, showrunner, and executive producer of the new series, confirmed the casting news alongside Mark Mylod, who’ll direct multiple episodes of the show. The duo said they’re “delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard” and added they “can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.”
HBO is yet to cast the three main characters—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger—but their casting will be announced before the series starts filming later this summer. Back in December, it was reported that over 30,000 kids auditioned for the lead roles, and that the casting team was planning to “workshop with some of our shortlisted candidates” in January.
