Nearly fifteen years after the final installment of the original film series, production is underway on HBO’s reimagining of the Harry Potter series, and this week HBO released the first official photo from that production.
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?
So now comes an HBO Harry Potter TV series adapting the original Harry Potter novels, which is expected to be epic in length, rolling out over the course of a decade (or more).
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. HBO’s Harry Potter has become 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’ll know a few years from now. In the meantime, HBO has served up the first official image from the set—a shot of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, approaching the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts.
Aidan Monaghan/HBO
The first season of HBO’s Harry Potter series will hit screens in 2027. Below, we run down the Harry Potter cast as presently constituted, and speculate on a few key roles that have yet to be cast.
Confirmed cast
Harry, Ron and Hermione
Aidan Monaghan/Courtesy of HBO
Source:
www.gq.com
