The new Harry Potter cast is taking shape, thirteen years after the final installment of the original film series.

That’s right—it’s been almost a decade and a half since The Deathly Hallows Pt. II, which is a pretty long time to go without a reboot for a franchise as huge as Harry Potter, not least in the age of rapacious IP exploitation. Yeah, sure, the Fantastic Beasts movies scratched an itch for the wannabe wizards of the world, and the triple-A video game Hogwarts Legacy provided a veritable Floo Network for millions of Potterheads. But neither holds a magically floating candle to the O.G. films, right?

The film series made stars of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, and introduced a new generation of fans to beloved British and Irish character actors like Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, and Imelda Staunton. There’s little doubt, then, that HBO’s Harry Potter is the hottest casting target for British talent this side of Game of Thrones, even if enthusiasm for the project has been dampened by Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s ongoing social-media crusade against trans rights. (HBO head Casey Bloys has described Rowling as “fairly involved” with the series’ development, while noting that her presence hasn’t put anyone off signing up, per IndieWire.)

Nevertheless, all involved have a formidable challenge on their hands. Can they live up to the beloved character portrayals that gave the movies their magic? We should know a year or so from now — the series is set to begin shooting this year with an anticipated debut on HBO Max in 2026.

The latest big news for the Harry Potter cast? HBO have officially revealed the three child actors who’ll be playing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

Casting is well underway, then. But who should get the wands, robes, and magic motorbike? For this exercise, think of GQ as the sorting hat, as we pick through the most eligible British actors to join HBO’s new Potterverse.

Confirmed cast

Harry, Ron and Hermione

HBO has announced the three child actors who’ll take on the iconic roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the upcoming series. As expected, all three actors are screen newcomers: Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will be Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will take on the role of Ron Weasley. When we say “newcomers,” we mean it—of the three, McLaughlin is the only one with an IMDb page (which aside from Potter, lists only one other acting credit, in an upcoming Sky original movie about an ill-tempered pumpkin farmer.)

“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,” showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod said in a statement. “The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. 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.”
Hagrid

Dave Benett
Actor/comedian Nick Frost, a mainstay of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, is confirmed for Hagrid. It’s the perfect marriage of role and actor, as far as we’re concerned: Hogwarts’ very own BFG will allow Frost to play a less immediately comic part than we’d usually associate him with, while his own comedic instincts will surely bring out Hagrid’s funnier side. At one point, Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein was reportedly up for the role—which would have been a very different direction indeed. Nevertheless, HBO have confirmed that it’ll be Frost on the magic motorbike.
Dumbledore

John Lithgow.

Following months of speculation, HBO finally confirmed in mid-April that it’ll be veteran actor John Lithgow as Dumbledore. Casting an American in Potter‘s second biggest role might come with its own dose of controversy for British fans, but lay down the torches for a moment. Nailing the British accent is nothing to an actor of Lithgow’s caliber (recall his turn as Winston Churchill in The Crown), and perhaps it’s only fair that an American should take the role of one of modern fiction’s most famous Englishmen for once, given how Britain’s acting exports disproportionately dominate the small screen across the Atlantic. Besides which, Lithgow’s many Emmys and Oscar nominations speak for themselves.
McGonagall

Janet McTeer.

 Kate Green/Getty Images
It’ll be Janet McTeer of Albert Nobbs, Ozark and The Menu as McGonagall, the Hogwarts matriarch played by the late, great Maggie Smith in the films. Smith is another tough example to live up to, but McTeer certainly has the talent and look. HBO’s confirmation came in mid-April after months of speculation; names previously circulated for the role included Sharon Horgan (of Bad Sisters).
Snape

Paapa Essiedu.

I May Destroy You and The Lazarus Project‘s Paapa Essiedu has been officially announced as the next Snape. His star has rapidly risen in recent years, with roles in Gangs of London, Saoirse Ronan’s film The Outrun, and a standout turn in Black Mirror serving to cement his screen bonafides. Expect his Harry Potter part to shoot him into the A-list stratosphere—and we have no doubt he’ll match up to the might of Alan Rickman.
Professor Quirrell and Filch
Screen newcomer Luke Thallon, the 29-year-old actor fresh off his acclaimed run as Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, has been cast as Professor Quirrell. Notably, it’s his first major screen credit; could we see him take the reigns as Voldemort later down the line, too?

Another astute casting comes in the form of British comedy legend Paul Whitehouse as Filch. The Fast Show star might be a surprising pick for Filch, Hogwart’s ill-tempered muggle cleaner, but maybe that’s the point—HBO appears to be leaning into comedy with this Harry Potter cast, and Whitehouse might help file off Filch’s rough edges.

Speculation

Tom Felton as… who?

Justin Tallis/Getty Images
Take this one with a real pinch of salt, but the Daily Mail reports that O.G. Draco actor Tom Felton is the only actor from the original film cast being considered by HBO and J.K. Rowling for involvement in the reboot series. While the article notes long-standing fan interest in seeing Felton return as Draco’s father Lucius, who was portrayed by Jason Isaacs in the movies, the author suggests that “this is unlikely,” because “the showrunners want to use him in other ways.”

The Mail‘s source is quoted as saying that, rather than being part of the primary cast, Felton could be deployed in a number of ways behind the scenes. “There has even been talk of getting him involved in creating behind-the-scenes content for HBO which could form part of a documentary about the making of the TV show,” the source said. How else could he appear? Fans on Reddit suggest that he could make for a good narrator, for one, and don’t write off a background appearance.
Voldemort

Cillian Murphy.

You need a serpentine, slippery fellow for He Who Must Not Be Named—the sort of actor whose very presence can feel terrifying. (It also helps if you can picture them taking on the look of Munch’s The Scream after a few hours of prosthetics and make-up.) The obvious pick, if his recent Oscar win hasn’t taken him out of the running, would be Cillian Murphy, whose sharp, spooky angularity just feels right for old Vold. In April, Warner Bros TV head Channing Dungey told Deadline “I have no comment, no comment, no comment” when asked if Murphy was in the running for Dumbledore, an answer that only stoked this fire. She did say that they were “still weighing a couple of different options there,” however.

For a younger pick, we’d suggest the HBO Potter bosses look no further than Stranger Things’ Jamie Campbell Bower, whose villainous Vecna is as gross and spine-chillingly malignant as you’d ever want Voldemort to be. He did play the young version of another evil wizard, Grindelwald, in the Potter film universe. But does that really matter?
Sirius Black

Kit Harington.

He’s unhinged, erratic, and just a little bit disheveled—but, crucially, kind of endearing. The Sirius Black formula is a tough one to crack. Do you go the Gary Oldman route and recruit an actor you can reliably expect to perform to the back of the hall, or go for someone who will offer a subtler approach to Black’s inner turmoil? Either way, Kit Harington would be our first choice: he’s a range-y performer who fits the age profile, can play to both Black’s light and shade, and he just seems like he’d be a cool godfather. A word here, too, for fellow Game of Thrones alumnus Richard Madden, who carries many of the same qualities, though we’d expect a more introspective version of Black from him.

Some fringe shouts could be Benedict Cumberbatch, although he’s on the upper end of the likely age range. And could fellow MCU actor Tom Hiddleston inject Black with a little of Loki’s mania? He certainly seems the right fit from the A-list Hollywood crop—and it’s worth noting that, at 43, he’s around the same age as Oldman when he shot Prisoner of Azkaban, give or take a few years.
Bellatrix Lestrange

Mia Goth.

The way that we imagine Bellatrix is so specific to Helena Bonham Carter that it’ll be an uphill battle for anyone who is called upon to bring their own interpretation to the role—but such is the case for most of this cast. To our mind, the standout nominee would be Mia Goth, the scream queen whose turn in 2022’s Pearl was considered Oscar-worthy enough for commentators to question why another performance in a horror film had been snubbed after she missed out on a nomination. Her knack for playing women on the edge would serve Bellatrix well.

The Dursleys

Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

 Karwai Tang
One of the hottest casting rumors around HBO’s Potter project is that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been offered the role of Harry’s pompous Aunt Petunia, played by Irish acting legend Fiona Shaw in the original film series. (This tip also comes from the insider DanielRPK.) At 39, Waller-Bridge is about the right age, and it should also be said that she has a similar look to Shaw. Plus, there was always a campy humor to Petunia—almost drag-like with her rich red lipstick, Marge Simpson pearls and cartoonish Thatcher scowl—that you could see the Fleabag creator tapping into with great success. But who might be her Vernon? Give it to Matt Berry, who would surely make the most delicious opera out of line reads like “No post on Sundays—ha!”