HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ series casts its Harry, Ron, and Hermione

HBO has found its Golden Trio. On Tuesday, the network revealed the highly anticipated casting of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger for the upcoming Harry Potter series adaptation.

Screen newcomers Dominic McLaughlin will take on the role of the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter; Arabella Stanton will portray the cleverest witch of her age, Hermione Granger; and Alastair Stout will play everyone’s favorite redhead, Ron Weasley.

Series showrunner, Francesca Gardiner, and director, Mark Mylod, shared their excitement for the actors in a statement, saying, “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.”

They added, “We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) headlined the blockbuster film adaptations, which also starred the likes of Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, and Helena Bonham Carter.

While it’s been decades since the Harry Potter film franchise came to an end, the original trio has only looked back fondly on their time in the wizarding world.

“I’m always genuinely very honored when someone comes up and says, ‘You were a huge part of my childhood,'” Radcliffe said in a 2019 interview on PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing.

Grint echoed a similar sentiment while talking to Entertainment Weekly in 2021, saying, “It was our entire childhood. We grew up on those sets. I mean, it was an immensely strange childhood, but it was one that was really fun.”

While Watson has since taken a step back from acting — telling the U.K.’s Financial Times in 2023 that she “felt a bit caged” by her career — she still has fondness for her time as Hermione Granger.

“Harry Potter was my home, my family, my world, and Hermione (still is) my favorite fictional character of all time,” she captioned an Instagram post in 2021. “I am proud not just of what we as a group contributed as actors to the franchise, but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path.”

McLaughlin, Stanton, and Stout will join a star-studded cast including John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, and Nick Frost, who were previously announced as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall, potions instructor Severus Snape, and groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, respectively. HBO also confirmed two guest roles: Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.

The series is expected to run for seven seasons, adapting each book from the franchise. Mylod (The Last of Us) will direct multiple episodes and also executive produce.

A previously released press statement emphasized how the new series will serve as a spacious vessel for J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series, claiming it will be filled with “fantastic detail” as it “[explores] every corner of the wizarding world.”

For those worried that the new series could reflect Rowling’s anti-transgender views, HBO’s Casey Bloys shared that the show hasn’t “felt any impact” from her controversial views, despite her involvement in the development process as executive producer.

“I imagine she’ll have opinions on casting. It hasn’t affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff or anything, so we haven’t felt any impact from that.” Bloys told the room of reporters at HBO’s 2025 preview presentation in November at the London Hotel in West Hollywood.

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Earlier in May, Bloys addressed concerns again after Rowling — a self-described TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) — drew criticism for publicly celebrating an April 16 U.K. Supreme Court ruling that excludes transgender women from the legal definition of a woman under Britain’s Equality Act.

“Harry Potter is not being secretly infused with anything,” he said on The Town podcast. “And she’s entitled to those views. And I think people are pretty clear that she’s entitled to them.”

The Harry Potter series is expected to begin filming later this year.