HBO announces Harry Potter TV show cast: Dumbledore, Snape, and more

By Dan Girolamo Published April 14, 2025

HBO has officially announced several key roles for the Harry Potter TV series.

Harry Potter will star John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. The quartet will all serve as series regulars.

HBO has added two new additions to the cast: Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Hogwarts’ caretaker.

Francesca Gardiner will be the showrunner and executive producer on Harry Potter. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes.

“We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life,” said Gardiner and Mylod in a statement.

Based on the book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter will be a faithful adaptation of the novels. The series chronicles the life of Harry Potter, a young boy who learns he is a wizard on his 11th birthday. He is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he will study his craft and meet his future best friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. HBO has not announced who will play Harry, Ron, or Hermione.

Each of Rowling’s seven novels will be adapted for television. It’s unknown how many seasons will be dedicated to each novel. However, the series will run in consecutive years for at least a decade.

Filming is expected to begin this summer in England. Harry Potter season 1 will likely air in late 2026 or early 2027. The series will stream exclusively on Max.