Harry Potter TV Series: Release Date Hints, Casting Buzz, and Everything We Know Right Now

Yes, the Harry Potter TV series is actually happening, and no, HBO is not ready to slap a date on it yet. But we do have a lot: filming is underway, the first season plan is surprisingly ambitious, the cast is filling up fast (with some very fun choices), and the Voldemort search is taking an unexpected turn. Let’s run through what matters.

Where the timeline stands

Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav floated 2027 as the rough target back in November 2024, with the classic CEO hedge of: could be, don’t hold me to it. Since then, the show has locked in its trio of leads and started shooting, which makes 2027 still realistic.

Production kicked off in July 2025 in the UK, with locations that will feel very familiar: London Zoo, King’s Cross Station, and spots around Hertfordshire. The plan is seven seasons covering all seven books. Season 1 adapts Philosopher’s Stone across eight episodes — roughly quadruple the runtime of the first film — which should let them pull in a lot of the book the movie had to skip.

The inside baseball: kid-actor scheduling

HBO knows the clock is the real villain. If Season 1 wraps by the end of 2025, that gives a full year for post and a head start on Season 2. But keeping the kids age-appropriate is a genuine challenge, especially if they want to keep momentum without rushing scripts.

"From 11 to 13, is a big jump in kids' lives. You can get away with 13 to 15, something like that. So we are going to have to think about scheduling and shooting so that they don't grow too much between seasons. It is a consideration.

I think an annual schedule would be tough, but it depends on how much is written ahead of time."

The Rowling factor

J.K. Rowling is involved as an executive producer, alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. HBO has publicly framed it as focusing on the books and the show while acknowledging she has the right to express her views. That has not silenced pushback from fans who have distanced themselves over her stance on trans rights. She skipped the movie franchise’s 20-year reunion special, the 2023 game Hogwarts Legacy weathered boycotts, and even real-life quidditch rebranded to 'quadball' to move away from her orbit. The show is moving forward with her participation regardless.

Cast: who is who so far

After a big open call last September — which Warner’s Channing Dungey warned would be tricky to narrow down — HBO named its new Golden Trio. Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod praised casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann for an exhaustive search that brought in tens of thousands of auditions. Beyond the leads, HBO confirmed several big swings and some fun curveballs.

• Harry Potter: Dominic McLaughlin (set to appear in Sky Original comedy 'Grow')
• Hermione Granger: Arabella Stanton (West End 'Matilda'; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'Starlight Express')
• Ron Weasley: Alastair Stout (TV ads work)
• Albus Dumbledore: John Lithgow (he said the offer came out of the blue at Sundance; not an easy call since it could define the last chapter of his career, but he’s in and excited)
• Severus Snape: Paapa Essiedu ('I May Destroy You')
• Minerva McGonagall: Janet McTeer ('Tumbleweeds')
• Rubeus Hagrid: Nick Frost ('Shaun of the Dead')
• Quirinus Quirrell: Luke Thallon (guest/recurring; notable recent turn in the RSC’s 2025 'Hamlet')
• Argus Filch: Paul Whitehouse ('The Fast Show') in a guest/recurring capacity
• Molly Weasley: Katherine Parkinson ('Rivals', 'The IT Crowd')
• Draco Malfoy: Lox Pratt ('Lord of the Flies')
• Lucius Malfoy: Johnny Flynn ('Ripley')
• Cornelius Fudge: Bertie Carvel ('The Crown')
• Seamus Finnigan: Leo Earley
• Parvati Patil: Alessia Leoni
• Lavender Brown: Sienna Moosah
• Petunia Dursley: Bel Powley ('Masters of the Air')
• Vernon Dursley: Daniel Rigby ('I, Jack Wright')

If you were hoping for movie-era cameos: temper expectations. Daniel Radcliffe has already said he’s not looking to pop in, and that the team probably wants a clean slate without figuring out where to wedge in 'old Harry'. He’s rooting for them, just not appearing in them.

Some alumni have weighed in from the sidelines. David Bradley (the films’ Filch) is curious to see how a longer format handles the chunkier books they had to compress on the big screen. Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the films) is taking it in stride: we remake Spider-Man every 15 minutes, there’s plenty in the books the films left out, and he’s keen to see what this team does.

So... who is Voldemort?

Not announced. Betting chatter has tossed around Matthew Macfadyen, Matt Smith, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hiddleston. Meanwhile, industry leaker Daniel Richtman claimed the show is auditioning both men and women for Voldemort, which would be a swing if Tom Riddle is gender-flipped at any point. None of that is confirmed yet.

What the show covers

This is a ground-up adaptation of all seven books, designed as a decade-long series. Max’s pitch is that each season stays faithful to its book with the scope and detail you can only get from long-form TV. The films aren’t going anywhere; they’ll remain the foundation of the franchise and available globally. This is meant to sit alongside them, not overwrite them.

Behind the camera

Francesca Gardiner (His Dark Materials) is showrunning. Mark Mylod (Succession) is on board to produce and direct episodes. Rowling is executive producing along with Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. Rowling has said she values Max’s promise to preserve the books’ integrity and that TV finally gives the story the space it needs.

Where to watch

The series will stream on HBO Max.