Harry Potter Series on HBO: Latest News, Main Cast, Showrunner, and Everything Else to Know

With a wave of its wand, Warner Bros. shook the television world when it announced in 2023 that a massive Harry Potter TV series was in development. A new Harry Potter series made for streaming had reportedly been in the works for several years, but Warner Bros. made it official when it revealed plans for a fresh adaptation of the Harry Potter novels for HBO Max. (The show will now also air on HBO.) That's right; we're not doing any side stories or prequels like Fantastic Beasts. This is the original story, with the idea being that a TV series will allow for a more in-depth exploration of the Harry Potter universe than we got from the film series that starred Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Each of the movies was between two and three hours long — but each season of this series will give us far more time in the Wizarding World than that.

Just in case you've been living under the Shrieking Shack and have no idea what's going on, Harry Potter is an 11-year-old boy who gets accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry only to learn that his family's history with a deadly dark lord will come to threaten the entire wizarding world and those he loves most.

The retelling of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time — which spanned eight films between 2001 and 2011 — is the latest effort to mine J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World cinematic universe. Warner Bros. has also produced three films in the spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts, licensed a theme park attraction, mounted the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage production, and launched the open-world video game Hogwarts Legacy.

Here's everything we know about the new series, its cast, a possible release date, and what the original stars have to say about the reimagining.

Harry Potter TV series latest news

On July 14, HBO announced that production had begun on the Harry Potter TV series. The news came alongside a photo of Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry, and yet another casting news dump, announcing that Rory Wilmot will play Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson will play Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey will play Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser will play Garrick Ollivander.

HBO also confirmed that the series will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.

Harry Potter TV series release date

It's official: The Harry Potter TV series won't arrive until 2027. HBO has confirmed that the new show will premiere in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where it's available.

Production began in July 2025. 

Harry Potter TV series cast 

The biggest selling point for the original Harry Potter films was the dynamic cast, led by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, along with legendary British actors like Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, and Ralph Fiennes. But HBO was clear in its announcement of the new series that it will feature an entirely new cast, which is starting to come together.

In July 2025, HBO added four more actors to its ever-expanding cast: Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.

In June, HBO announced that nine actors have been added to the ensemble: Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.

In May, HBO announced the casting for its three main characters. Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout has landed the role of Ron Weasley. "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen," showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod said in a press release. "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."

And in February, we learned our first major piece of casting: John Lithgow will play Dumbledore. While it may seem like an odd choice at first, since Lithgow is American, it's worth pointing out that the 79-year-old actor won an Emmy and was nominated for a BAFTA for playing Winston Churchill on The Crown less than a decade ago. So there's certainly no question that he can do the accent.

Lithgow's casting was rumored for a few weeks, but the actor confirmed the news in a chat with ScreenRant. "It was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes."

When Lithgow's casting was made formal in mid-April, five other actors and their roles were also revealed: Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.

HBO's Harry Potter cast:

• Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
• Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger
• Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley
• John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
• Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape
• Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall
• Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid
• Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch
• Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell
• Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley
• Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley
• Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy
• Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy
• Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley
• Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan
• Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil
• Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown
• Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge
• Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom
• Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley
• Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch
• Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander

Harry Potter TV series behind the scenes

In June 2024, Warner Bros. announced a showrunner for the new series: Francesca Gardiner, who has never led a series before, but whose previous writing credits include Succession and His Dark Materials. 

Mark Mylod, a peak TV veteran, will executive produce the show and direct multiple episodes. Mylod has plenty of experience directing for HBO and Showtime — including episodes of Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Shameless, The Affair, and the dark satire film The Menu with Ralph Fiennes.

Other key members of the behind-the-scenes team include Adriano Goldman (director of photography), Cate Hall (hair and makeup designer), Paul Herbert (stunt coordinator), Mark Holt (SFX supervisor), Mara LePere-Schloop (production designer), Naomi Moore (set decorator), John Nolan (creature effects design supervisor), Alexis Wajsbrot (VFX supervisor), Dom Sidoli (VFX producer), and Holly Waddington (costume designer). 

Harry Potter TV series teaser video

In announcing the series, HBO Max released a brief teaser that offers nothing about the new series, only acknowledging its existence. But it does include the original film series' iconic typeface and John Williams' score — the use of which left some scratching their heads. If the streamer intends to remake Rowling's stories from the ground up, will it still use the same branding and music? Not likely, but until anything gets made, the original's effective iconography and soundtrack will have to do.

How many seasons will there be?

Initial reports of the series said it would run seven seasons, with each one dedicated to adapting one of Rowling's books. But Warner Bros. Discovery has also stated it would be a "decade-long series." In February 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav  confirmed that the series would run for seven seasons, with each season corresponding to a book.

There's also the vast Wizarding World mythology that Rowling has built out over the years, which the show's creators could pull from to flesh out the new TV adaptation as well.

In all, that means you should expect a much more robust adaptation of the novels than we saw with the movies, since each season will be significantly longer than any of those movies were. This will also allow them to flesh out some of the early stories with key elements that weren't conceived until later books, if they want to.

Is J.K. Rowling involved in the Harry Potter TV series?

Yes. Rowling has become a much-maligned figure in recent years, focusing her social media presence on posting hateful attacks on the trans community. In 2025, she announced the creation of the J.K. Rowling Women's Fund, an entirely self-funded organization dedicated to "women's sex-based rights," another example of her commitment to promoting and funding anti-trans legislation.

None of this stopped Warner Bros. from bringing her on board the new Potter series, on which she will serve as an executive producer. In a statement, Rowling said, "Max's commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I'm looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series."

Variety reported on the studio's defense of Rowling's "right to express her personal views." Warner Bros. said, "We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement."

HBO's chief content officer Casey Bloys doubled down on the network's support of Rowling, saying, "It's pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She's entitled to them. Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything. And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter."

Original Harry Potter cast reactions to the TV series

With a whole new cast donning the robes of Hogwarts' four houses, the original cast will be passing the wand. Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry Potter, is totally fine with it.

"My understanding is that they're trying to very much start fresh and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere," Radcliffe told ComicBook.com in July 2023. "So I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it." (It's worth noting that Radcliffe, a longtime supporter of the Trevor Project, has publicly criticized Rowling's anti-trans views.)

How to watch the Harry Potter TV series

Until the Harry Potter series starts to take shape, an entire corner of the HBO Max streaming service is dedicated to the Wizarding World. There, fans can stream all eight of the original films, along with the three Fantastic Beasts movies, the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts reunion film, and specials like the Hogwarts Tournament of Champions hosted by Helen Mirren.

The main series of Harry Potter films is also available on Peacock, and the entire franchise can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and other digital retailers.