Summary

Excitement surrounds HBO's Harry Potter project.
Katie Leung advises new cast to stay true to portrayals.
Lithgow confirmed as Dumbledore; other roles secured.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding HBO's upcoming Harry Potter reboot, which will bring the Wizarding World to the television format for the first time. Fans have been busy speculating about what will happen in the new version of Harry Potter, whether there will be changes to the storyline, aspects of the novels added in, or any fresh characters. However, the one thing guaranteed is that a large audience will be ready to watch it.

The Harry Potter franchise is one of the biggest of all time. The story has been turned into successful movies, theme park attractions, and merchandise over the years. It guarantees that there will be a lot of pressure on the actors who get cast into HBO's version of Harry Potter, especially since they will have the added issue of being compared to their movie counterparts, and that's something that a former cast member has spoken about.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

Katie Leung played the role of Cho Chang during the Harry Potter movies, originally joining the franchise in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where she portrayed Harry's crush. She then had a minor role in the rest of the movies but remained part of the franchise, a role Leung remains well-known for to this day. She's familiar with the pressure of being involved in the Harry Potter world, and she provided advice to the new cast when speaking to GamingBIBLE.

Leung said, "I remember feeling really scared because it's going to be such a huge budgeted show, and there's going to be so many people involved. I think it's really important to remember to be true to how you want to play a character and not let outer voices get to you. You've been cast for a reason, for a very good reason. Just roll with it. Just have fun; I would say just have fun. Remember that there are going to be a lot of people but what matters most in the end is to be vulnerable and open to exploring."

So far, only John Lithgow has officially been confirmed as part of HBO's Harry Potter cast, where he will be taking on the role of Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The former Dexter actor has revealed he is already researching by reading the novels to ensure he's ready for filming in the summer of 2025. That is set to take place at Warner Bros' Leavesden Studios in England, where Leung will be familiar as that's where the movies were shot.

No other actors are officially confirmed, but reports indicate that HBO has identified and secured three other major roles. Nick Frost is set to play the loveable Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, Janet McTeer is expected to be Professor Minerva McGonagall, while Paapa Essiedu is nearing a deal to portray Severus Snape, one of Harry Potter's most notable roles. Auditions have taken place for the 'Golden Trio' characters – Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, but there is currently no word on who will be playing those crucial lead roles.

The first season of the Harry Potter series is expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027, and each novel is set to be given a fully dedicated season each. With a lot of extra time to play with compared to the movies, there will be opportunities to dive into the characters in even more detail, which could give these actors, even more, to work with than the likes of Leung were rewarded during the movie series. Fans are hoping that there will be extra scenes and certain details left on the cutting room floor of the movies will be added to the Harry Potter television series, allowing the show to be even truer to the source material that is so beloved.

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