HBO has finally offered an official confirmation for the cast of its upcoming
"Harry Potter" TV series, and it looks like all the early reports were true. The cast, so far, consists of
John Lithgow (
"Conclave") as Albus Dumbledore,
Janet McTeer (
"The White Queen") as Minerva McGonagall,
Paapa Essiedu (
"Gangs of London") as Severus Snape, and
Nick Frost (
"Shaun of the Dead") as Rubeus Hagrid.
Other cast members include
Luke Thallon (
"Leopoldstadt") in the recurring role of Quirinus Quirrell, and
Paul Whitehouse (
"Harry & Paul") as Argus Filch, also a recurring role. Still no word on who will play the lead roles (Harry, Ron, and Hermione), for which HBO launched an open casting call in the fall, with over 30,000 participants.
Here is HBO's official announcement:
"We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch. We're delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can't wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life."
Francesca Gardiner (
"Killing Eve",
"His Dark Materials") is the show's writer, showrunner and executive producer.
Mark Mylod (
"Succession",
"The Menu") will direct multiple episodes and executive produce. The show is expected to begin filming this summer. The series is executive produced by Rowling,
Neil Blair, and
Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and
David Heyman of Heyday Films.
According to HBO, the
"Harry Potter" series will be a faithful adaptation of
J.K. Rowling's book series, and it will explore
"every corner of the wizarding world" as each season will bring
"Harry Potter" and its incredible adventures to
"new and existing audiences".
