‘Harry Potter’ series finds its Harry, Ron and Hermoine

LOS ANGELES: HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ TV series has officially found its Harry, Ron and Hermione. Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout will step into the shoes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to essay the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Welcoming the new actors on board, the makers on Instagram wrote, “Dear Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley: We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please welcome Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley to the HBO Original Series Harry Potter.”

Over 30,000 actors auditioned for the lead roles since HBO launched an open casting call last fall, as per Variety.

The Trio new and The Trio old pic.twitter.com/InxAPdF3OL

— Daily Harry Potter (@TheDailyHPotter) May 28, 2025

Speaking about the series, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod in a statement said, “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.”

The ‘Harry Potter’ franchise launched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to worldwide fame in the early 2000s, and the HBO series could very well do the same for McLaughlin, Stanton and Stout, who are largely newcomers. McLaughlin acted in “Grow,” an upcoming comedy on Sky starring Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel, while Stanton starred as Matilda in “Matilda: The Musical” on the West End from 2023-2024. “Harry Potter” will be Stout’s first major role.

The series also features John Lithgow (“Conclave,” “The Crown”) as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “The White Queen”) as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You,” “Gangs of London”) as Severus Snape, Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”) as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon (Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt,” Rupert Goold’s “Patriots”) as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse (“The Fast Show,” “Harry & Paul”) as Argus Filch.

The bestselling books’ author, JK Rowling, will act as an executive producer on the show, which HBO has said will be a “faithful adaptation” of her books. (ANI)