Max’s Harry Potter TV series has officially cast four series regulars and two recurring roles, including four actors Deadline previously revealed: John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
The newly announced cast includes Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. Whitehouse is the only actor cast thus far to have appeared in any of the original films. He played Sir Cadogan in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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 Hermoine 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.
The Harry Potter series comes from writer/showrunner Francesca Gardiner, an executive producer alongside Mark Mylod, who will direct multiple episodes for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television.
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The streamer touts the series as “a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series” by J.K. Rowling, who also exec produces with Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, previously said the Harry Potter series would be a deep dive into each of Rowling’s novels, of which seven were released. However, he emphasized that the TV series will run for 10 consecutive years.
The 8 hit Warner Bros. films released between 2001 and 2011 with the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, split into two features. The two longest novels are Deathly Hallows and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth and lengthiest book in the series. Potentially, more time could be devoted to these two titles with an extra season for each. However, Max has yet to reveal how much time they will focus on each novel per season. One thing that has been confirmed is that the prequel books under the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise will not be part of the series. Unless they are casually introduced like in the films when the young Hogwarts students read them as part of their curriculum.
“We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life,” said Gardiner and Mylod in a joint statement.
Casting is still underway for many major roles, including that of the titular wizard, best known as the Boy That Lived, famously portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe on the big screen. Also up for grabs are the roles of his dearest friends Ron and Hermoine, originally played by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, respectively. A casting call revealed that prospective actors should be between 9 and 11 years old as of this month.
Production is set to begin this summer at Leavesden Studios, around 20 miles from London, and is the current home of the official Harry Potter Studio Tour and where the films were shot.
The newly cast actors have received many awards and accolades for their contributions to film and television on both sides of the pond.
Lithgow is a six-time Emmy, two-time Tony Award, Olivier winner, and BAFTA and Oscar nominee who will follow in the footsteps of Richard Harris, who played the Hogwarts Headmaster in the first two films, and Michael Gambon, who took over the role following Harris’ death. Jude Law played Dumbledore in his early years in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
McTeer is a Tony Award, Golden Globe, and Olivier winner, and an Oscar and Emmy nominee who takes over the role of Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher made famous by Maggie Smith and Fiona Glascott in the Fantastic Beasts films.
Essiedu is an Olivier, Emmy, and BAFTA nominee set to play the misunderstood Severus Snape, played in the films by Alan Rickman. Essiedu began his career as part of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company before landing his breakout role in the BBC and HBO production I May Destroy You. He made his film debut in the mystery film Murder on the Orient Express (2017), directed by Harry Potter alum Kenneth Branagh. Additional credits include Anne Boleyn, The Lazarus Project, and Black Mirror on TV.
Frost is a British Independent Film Award nominee who has starred in many fan-favorite films and is best known for his collaborations with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. His credits include the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End; Attack the Block, Fighting with My Family, and How to Train Your Dragon for the big screen. He famously starred in Spaced, Into the Badlands, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on the small screen. Frost will play Hagrid, who was previously played by Robbie Coltrane.
Thallon, a newcomer on the scene, will take over the role of Professor Quirrell, the Muggle Studies professor who pivoted to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ian Hart played Quirrell in the films.
Whitehouse will recur as Filch, Hogwart’s groundskeeper and cat dad, originally played by David Bradley. Casting news for Mrs. Norris is also pending. Whitehouse has appeared in The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Death of Stalin, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Alice in Wonderland.
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