The sorting hat has spoken. HBO’s long-anticipated Harry Potter reboot has officially cast its new Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. After months of speculation, the streaming platform has unveiled the fresh faces who’ll be stepping into the Hogwarts-sized shoes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
Harry Potter Reboot Casts Harry, Hermione, and Ron
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod said in a statement via Variety that after an exhaustive search (more than 30,000 auditions), they found the actors for the lead roles. The statement reads, “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. 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.”
The young actors who nabbed the coveted roles are Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout. McLaughlin will star as Harry, Stanton as Hermione, and Stout as Ron.
Acting Roles
The Harry Potter movies launched the careers of Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint. They went on to star in various films and TV series. The new leads, who don’t yet have any major acting credits to their names, may be on similar career trajectories. McLaughlin stars in the upcoming comedy Grow alongside Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel. Stanton played the titular role in Matilda: The Musical from 2023 to 2024. Stout’s first major role is as Ron Weasley in the reboot.
Other cast members already announced for the reboot include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall. Paapa Essiedu was cast as Severus Snape. However, his casting was recently speculated after the actor publicly voiced support for trans rights. His stance directly contradicts that of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s views. Rowling tweeted that she doesn’t have the power to “sack an actor from the series.” And that she “don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
Nick Frost also joined the cast as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Now that the major leads have been filled, filming is expected to begin this summer.
