Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Topics: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Film and TV, HBO
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Topics: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Film and TV, HBO
The Harry Potter series is in full swing as HBO has officially begun its search for the next Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Slated to release sometime in 2026, the new Harry Potter television series is expected to last for a decade with each season of the show tackling one of J.K. Rowling's seven books.
News of the series was confirmed last year at the Warner Bros. Discovery presentation, with chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content Casey Bloys sharing: "We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way.
Advert
"Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World.
"In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years."
Although little is known about the reboot so far, Harry Potter's official Instagram page has posted an open casting call today, looking for children ages 9 to 11 to audition for the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.
The call notes that children must be residents of the United Kingdom or Ireland, and states that they must be aged 9-11 in April 2025 — presumably hinting that that is when production is expected to begin.
HBO's decision to do an open casting mirrors the previous casting process for the original Harry Potter films. Both Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Ron and Hermione respectively, were discovered through open calls with Watson notably auditioning through her school.
The studio's decision to go down the open casting route likely means they're hoping to find the same serendipitous jackpot producers did over 20 years ago with Grint, Watson, and Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry).
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed earlier this year that the show is set to release on Max (formerly known as HBO Max) in 2026, and that meetings with Rowling and Warner Bros. executives had already begun.
"Both sides are just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise," Zaslav shared in a Warner Bros. Discovery's Q4 earnings meeting call.
"Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max."
Meanwhile, Rowling said in a 2023 statement released along with the series announcement that she was looking forward to exploring the 'depth and detail' of her books in a 'long form television series.'
“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," she added.