HBO’s Harry Potter revival continues to move forward, now with the show’s Harry, Ron, and Hermione in tow. Unsurprisingly, the TV reboot has cast unknown child actors in the roles, similar to what happened with the original Warner Bros. movies. The only difference is that this time around there’s an existing on-screen legacy for fans to compare the new first-year students to.
The new HBO series revealed on Tuesday that Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley. None have had any known notable film or TV roles previously, though Stanton played Matilda in the West End musical based on the Roald Dahl book.
“The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen,” showrunner Francesca Gardiner said in a statement. “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 children are all around 10 years old, which is accurate to the books but might put the show in a weird tension between its YA source material and HBO’s reputation for mature, prestige TV. They’ll join an existing cast that includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
While the show is based on books by author J.K. Rowling, who faces ongoing backlash over her anti-trans rhetoric and financial support for anti-trans initiatives, Warner Bros. executive Casey Bloys recently sought to distance the show from her bigotry. “It’s pretty clear that those are her personal, political views,” he said on a podcast earlier this month. “She’s entitled to them. Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything. If you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”
Rowling remains an executive producer on the HBO adaptation, though it’s unclear what creative input she’ll have, if any, as a result. The Harry Potter TV show is currently aiming to begin airing in 2026.
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