Fans are inching closer to casting news for Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Max's Harry Potter TV series.
More than a decade-and-a-half since the last movie in the beloved wizarding franchise came to theaters, Warner Bros. is now ready to dip its wand back into the series with a new TV show take on J.K. Rowling's literary hit.
Several cast members, including John Lithgow and Paapa Essiedu, have been officially confirmed for the new Max series, but several big-name character/actor pairings have yet to be revealed.
A Harry Potter Casting Update
Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO Channing Dungey shared an update on the casting process for the new Max Harry Potter series, saying the studio is inching closer to locking down its Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Speaking in a wide-spanning interview with Deadline, Dungey disclosed that they are "not yet ready to announce the kid," but they are getting closer:
"We are not yet ready to announce the kids, we’re still working our way through that process. I have to give you credit, you at Deadline are consistently breaking the news even when we’re not ready, so I feel like you are very up to speed on all things Potter in that way."
Several names have been mentioned regarding who will play each of the core Hogwarts students in the upcoming series (including that Pistol's Toby Woolf will play Harry); however, Warner Bros. has not officially disclosed any information about the show's three leads.
Warner Bros. has remained tight-lipped about most casting information for the upcoming series, only confirming three total actors to date (John Lithgow, Paapa Essiedu, and Janet McTeer).
Another character brought up in Deadline's conversation with Dungey was 'He Shall Not Be Named' (aka the franchise's big bad, Voldemort). When asked about calls from cans to see Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy to play the dark wizard, Dungy replied, "No comment."
When To Expect Harry Potter Casting News
The casting announcement process for Harry Potter has been a bit unorthodox.
While one would expect the franchise to lead with its Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the new Max series has done the opposite. Instead of announcing its core trio of kids, the show slowly doled out information on some key adult characters.
This is likely due to the wide-spanning nature of casting these young actors. As with the original Harry Potter movies, Warner Bros. is undertaking a global search for its Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Because of the worldwide style of this casting search, the studio is looking at not just names people know and love but also unknowns audiences are less familiar with. This was even said to include people outside of those who were in the search the first time around (including people of color and other BIPOC talent).
With the announced adult characters, the casting process (while still extensive) largely considered known quantities, likely expediting the act of finding a particular actor for each character.
Filming on the series is set to begin this summer, so a full cast announcement feels imminent. The studio will likely want that news out before the show gets in front of cameras.
But also, Warner Bros. will want to take its time finding its child actors. The Harry Potter TV show will essentially be a decade-long commitment for these young talents, so the creative team behind the show will want to be 100% of the actors it decides upon for each character.
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