HBO Max Casts “Golden Trio” in Harry Potter Reboot

After announcing the casting of six Hogwarts professors in April, HBO Max have now announced the much anticipated casting of the three main characters in their somewhat-controversial Harry Potter television series reboot.

The new series aims to be a “faithful adaptation” of the Harry Potter franchise, with a season dedicated to each book, allowing time to explore the details of the Wizarding World that were missed in the movies.

Mark Mylod, executive producer and director of many episodes, told Pottermore that the team had seen “30,000 budding young actors” audition by December last year. After beating tens of thousands of other hopefuls, Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin, despite his young age, is set to appear in two other projects. In the comedy movie Grow, which will be released on Sky, he plays alongside some big names, such as Golda Rosheuvel, Alan Carr, and Nick Frost (who, coincidentally, has been cast as Hagrid in the Potter reboot). He is also set to appear in a BBC series Gifted, which follows a group of  Scottish teenagers with superpowers. McLaughlin has starred alongside Indira Varma and Ralph Fiennes (the original Lord Voldemort) in a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Edinburgh. The young actor seems to have excellent acting credentials considering his age, and fans agree that he has the right look, in terms of book-accuracy, to be playing Harry.

Stanton’s appearance and acting credits lend her perfectly to the role

11-year-old Arabella Stanton, who has recently played the lead role of Matilda in Matilda the Musical in the West End, and previously appeared in Starlight Express, is set to make her screen debut in the HBO series. Fans have had optimistic reactions to Stanton’s casting after a clip thought to be from her audition tape went viral and many have noted the similarities in character between Matilda and Hermione.  There has been some discourse online regarding Stanton’s ethnicity, with fans questioning, much as they have with the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, whether major plot points, such as Draco Malfoy’s relentless bullying due to Hermione’s parentage, will be misconstrued or changed. Despite this, Stanton’s appearance and acting credits lend her perfectly to the role of Hermione, and fans are looking forwards to seeing her take on the character.

Alastair Stout, whose only previous acting credit is “Son at Dinner” in Albert Bartlett’s ‘Roll on Jersey Royal Season’ potato advert, has been cast as Ron Weasley. It will be exciting to watch his first foray into a big acting project and, with the perfect appearance for the ginger-haired Weasley, he is a promising addition to this cast.

Showrunner and executive producer Francesca Gardiner said: “the talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold” and expressed her gratitude to the many hopefuls that attended the open casting call, describing it as “a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”

Rowling’s politics have estranged her from many of the cast members from the original films

Author of the books and executive producer for the adaptation J.K. Rowling, says she “couldn’t be happier” about this casting announcement, and that “all three are wonderful.” Her involvement in the show is the source of much of its controversy. After her long-running tirade of hatred directed at transgender individuals, including her recent support of the UK Supreme Court’s ruling regarding legal definitions of sex and gender – she writes on X: “I love it when a plan comes together” – Harry Potter fan communities have vowed to boycott the author and her future projects. Rowling’s politics have estranged her from many of the cast members from the original films, as well as the majority of her once-loyal fans. HBO Max, however, has said that the show will “benefit” from her involvement and that she “has the right to express her personal views.” How Rowling’s involvement will really influence the show, its audience, and its cast members is something we will have to wait to find out – it is a shame that one woman’s bigotry can overshadow these young talented actors, innocently anticipating bringing much-beloved characters to life once again.

Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content revealed that the project would run for “10 consecutive years.” The show is confirmed to begin filming in the Summer of 2025 and to debut in 2026, although no concrete date has yet been revealed.