Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint became icons at the beginning of this millennium, by portraying the three main characters in the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. Now, HBO will try out new names and faces in a new series.
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Dominic McLaughlin will play the brave Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton the clever Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout the clumsy Ron Weasley, as reported by the television network and Warner Bros.
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“The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic on screen,” said executive producers of the series, Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, in a joint statement.
“We want to thank the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It has been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talents out there,” they added.
Emerging talents
The team was reviewing up to 1,000 tapes per day, according to HBO. Previously, it had been stipulated that the three child actors must reside in the United Kingdom or Ireland and be between nine and eleven years old in April 2025.
The three chosen ones are emerging talents who are starting to make a name for themselves in the industry.
The production company SC Films confirmed that McLaughlin, the new Harry Potter, recently filmed the family comedy “Grow” for Sky, starring “Hot Fuzz” actor Nick Frost, who will now play the kind gardener Rubeus Hagrid.
Last December, the adventure series “Gifted”, set to premiere soon, revealed that McLaughlin was part of the Scottish children’s cast of the BBC program based in Edinburgh.
McLaughlin also participated in a production of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, alongside actor Ralph Fiennes, a three-time Oscar nominee, and “Luther” actress Indira Varma.
Stanton, the new Hermione, has experience in theater. She has participated in musical productions such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Starlight Express,” playing the role of the Control narrator. And in “Matilda: The Musical,” by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in the role of a child prodigy.
Stout’s agent, Urban Talent Youth, based in Manchester, included him in the advertising campaign for Albert Bartlett’s Jersey Royal potatoes.
New faces for Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Hagrid
In April, HBO confirmed the first actors of the cast of the series, among which are the American John Lithgow in the role of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the British Paapa Essiedu as the cruel professor Severus Snape, the British Janet McTeer as professor Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as the beloved Rubeus Hagrid.
The rest of the confirmed actors so far, according to a statement published by Warner Bros. Discovery, are: British theater actor Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the main antagonist of the first saga, and Welsh comedian and five-time BAFTA winner Paul Whitehouse as Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, devoid of magic.
In the eight movies, Dumbledore was portrayed by Irish actors Richard Harris and Michael Gambon (deceased), while Snape was played by Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane (also deceased) portrayed Hagrid, and Maggie Smith (also deceased) played McGonagall.
A decade-long production
The series, whose filming is expected to begin in the summer at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, promises to be a faithful adaptation of the Harry Potter books by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling.
Each season will be based on one of the installments of the saga, with the intention of extending the production over a decade.