Harry Potter TV series: Release date speculation and latest news

Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout will take on the lead roles, while the prominent supporting characters Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Quirinus Quirrell will be played by John Lithgow, Paapa Essiedu and Luke Thallon.

Season 1 will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and will reportedly be eight episodes long, making it around four times the length of the original movie adaptation. The show has already begun filming at various locations around the UK, including London Zoo and King's Cross Station.

Want to learn more about this ambitious project? Here are all of the latest updates on HBO's Harry Potter TV series.

Harry Potter TV series release date speculation

HBO's Harry Potter adaptation is currently expected to premiere in 2027, following a slight delay to the original timeline.

Filming for the new Harry Potter began in July 2025, beginning what is intended to be a seven-season adaptation.

The exact release date hasn't been announced yet, but we'll update this page as soon as we hear more.

If filming wraps by the end of 2025, that gives HBO a full year for post-production (which is likely to be quite complicated for a big-budget fantasy series), as well as getting started on season 2.

One obvious concern is making sure the show stays on track to release one new season per year, so the lead actors don't end up growing too old for their roles.

Speaking about HBO's plans to film new seasons as quickly and efficiently as possible, Casey Bloys said, "From 11 to 13 is a big jump in kids lives. We are going to think about scheduling, so they don’t grow too much between seasons. Annual [release] will be tough, but it depends on how much is written at a time."

The HBO executive also confirmed that author JK Rowling is involved in the project, amid ongoing controversy regarding her views on trans rights, which have turned many former fans away from the franchise.

In response to these concerns, an HBO spokesperson said (via Variety): "We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter – the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance.

"JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement."

This has done little to quell concerns over Rowling's impact as a public figure, and how her income from the Potter franchise may be used to facilitate anti-LGBTQ+ projects.

In recent years the author was notably absent from the 20-year anniversary special of the Harry Potter movies, and the 2023 Hogwarts Legacy spin-off game faced boycotts. Meanwhile several fan-run organizations have distanced themselves from Rowling, including the international association for real-life Quidditch, which has renamed the sport "quadball."

Who will star in the Harry Potter TV series?

As mentioned above, the lead stars playing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have been confirmed.

Back in September, there was an open casting call looking for the three kids, with Warner boss Channing Dungey admitting it would be "tricky" to allocate the roles (via Variety).

Now we know that Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione and Alastair Stout will play Ron.

Stanton is known for having previously starred in the West End production of Matilda, as well as the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of Starlight Express.

Stout has been seen in TV advertisements, while McLaughlin will be seen in Sky Original comedy Grow.

Following the lead actors being announced, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod said in a statement: "After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. 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."

Meanwhile, HBO previously announced that John Lithgow is set to play Albus Dumbledore.

Lithgow previously said of taking on the role: "It came as a total surprise to me. I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited."

Elsewhere, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) will star as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) will star as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) will appear as Rubeus Hagrid.

While those four series regulars had previously been rumoured to be joining the project, some other new additions have been more unexpected.

The more surprising additions are Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show) as Argus Filch, who will appear in guest/recurring roles.

Thallon is currently best known in the theatre world and most recently starred in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2025 Hamlet.

In June, a whole load of new additions were also announced to fill out supporting roles. Katherine Parkinson (Rivals) will play Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt (Lord of the Flies) will play Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn (Ripley) will play Lucius Malfoy and Bertie Carvel (The Crown) will play Cornelius Fudge.

Meanwhile, Leo Earley will play Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni will play Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah will play Lavender Brown, Bel Powley (Masters of the Air) will play Petunia Dursley and Daniel Rigby (I, Jack Wright) will play Vernon Dursley.

Unfortunately, those hoping for returns from the film franchise's stars, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson or Rupert Grint, are out of luck – it's not looking likely.

Chatting to ComicBook.com, Radcliffe quashed any speculation about him making an appearance.

He said: "My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh, and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere."

He continued: "So I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way… but I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it."

Argus Filch star David Bradley told RadioTimes.com: "I think it’ll be very interesting to see what they will do with the extra time they’ll have to film more of the books than we could.

"The Goblet of Fire and the last two, they were quite chunky – how do you condense those into a two and a half hour film?

"Of course, you’ve got to sacrifice quite a lot of plot and characters. I’m assuming the reason they’re doing it is they’ll be able to include more of the story because they’ll have more screen time - a lot more than the films had. I’ll be interested. I haven’t had the call yet!"

Asked whether it felt strange to see a new adaptation in the works, Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, mused: "It’s no weirder for me than for everybody else who’s seen the films. I happen to be in the films too."

He continued: "They make a new Spider-Man every 15 minutes. You know, there was a ton of stuff in the books that we left out. Yeah, it's an odd feeling, but it’s no odder for me than it is anyone else. I can’t wait to see them and see what they do."

Behind the camera, we know that His Dark Materials writer Francesca Gardiner will serve as showrunner, while Succession director Mark Mylod is attached to produce and film some episodes.

Meanwhile, JK Rowling will executive produce the series, alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts.

"Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series," said Rowling.

What is the Harry Potter TV series about?

The series will be based on all seven books in the series, originally published between 1997 and 2007.

A statement from the newly branded Max explained: "The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for.

"The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years."

It continued: "Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

The Harry Potter series will stream on HBO Max.

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