TheHarry PotterTV show’s new castings come to life in a new fan-made video. HBO’s new take on J. K. Rowling’s beloved source material took a major step forward earlier this month when it was announced that six actors had been cast as various members of Hogwarts' staff. Though the three main roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione have not yet been announced, theHarry PotterTV showis now confirmed to include John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Filch.
An official look at these newHarry PotterTV show cast members has not yet arrived, butHanna Yurchenkoon Instagram has now shares an AI-generated video imagining what these actors might look like as their respective characters. The video essentially just uses the characters' costumes from the movies while superimposing the new actors' faces on top, providing at least some idea of what audiences can expect. Check out the video below:
What This Means For The Harry Potter TV Show
The Original Saga Sets A High Bar
Filming is expected to get underway on theHarry PotterTV show this summer at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK, with a release to follow in late 2026. An official look at Lithgow, McTeer, Essiedu, and Frost, among others, then, is likely still many months away. The video raises interesting questions, though, about what the news takes on these characters will look like and how closely they will resemble the originalHarry Pottercastmembers' appearances in the movies.
The eightHarry Pottermoviesin the main saga, which were released from 2001 to 2011 were very successful with both audiences and critics. Collectively, they grossed well over $7 billion. The casting choices in these films are sure to loom large over the TV show, with comparisons inevitable.Already there is backlash to several casting choices, including Lithgow as Dumbledore and Essiedu as Snape, and future casting choices, including for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, are sure to also be controversial.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson played Harry, Ron, and Hermione, respectively, in the original movies.
Our Take On The Harry Potter Cast Video
Divisiveness Is Inevitable
Any time something is adapted from one medium into another, there will be a degree of artistic license taken.The act of adaptation, after all, is inherently also an act of interpretation, and interpretations vary. There is interpretation happening with theHarry PotterTV show’s showrunner, Francesca Gardiner, and her writing staff, but each actor who is cast will also be interpreting their character in a unique way.
Pleasing everyone simply won’t be possible.
These different layers of interpretation and adaptation open the door for divisiveness among audiences, and that’s especially true for a piece of IP likeHarry Potter, for which there is a great deal of passion. Pleasing everyone simply won’t be possible. It remains to be seen how the new cast members will fare when theHarry PotterTV show eventually releases, but the series certainly faces an uphill battle.
