HBO dropped a few announcements about its new TV series adaptation of Harry Potter on Monday, including four new cast members. Among them is Harry’s childhood bully, Dudley Dursley, played by Amos Kitson. Hopefully Kitson fans will treat Kitson well when he’s out of character, and he can get as much out of the role as Harry Melling did in the original film series. The other newcomers are Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Louise Brealey as Madam Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Mr. Ollivander. Along with the casting news came confirmation that the series will air in 2027 rather than 2026 as originally intended. The show is in production now.
The Harry Potter remake is taking shape, with many of the main cast members announced and filming officially in the works. Monday’s press release even included an image of Dominic McLaughlin in character as Harry Potter, holding a clapperboard on set. He’ll spend most of the series with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, but first he’ll have to get away from his relatives, the Dursley family.
As with most of the child stars signing onto this series, Kitson has no prior Hollywood credits. Wilmot appeared in one episode of FBI: International last year, and will soon appear in the British drama Out of the Dust, which is currently in post-production. At the time the story begins, Harry, his cousin, and his classmates are all 11 years old. It’s a big commitment for a young performer to take on — as we saw just a few years ago with the film series adaptation. Some of those cast members grew up to be movie stars, while others happily left acting behind once their time at Hogwarts was over.
As for the adult roles, Madam Rolanda Hooch teaches Hogwarts first years to fly on broomsticks, and acts as referees in the school Quidditch matches. If the show focuses more on the fictional sport, as many fans are hoping, we will be seeing much more of Madam Hooch throughout this series than we did in the movies. Meanwhile, Ollivander is the wand-maker and salesman who gives Harry his unique magical tool. He’ll have an ominous scene early on, and more to do in the very end of the story.
Harry Potter is filming now, and is expected to premiere sometime in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. In the meantime, the movie adaptations are streaming now on HBO Max, and the novels are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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