HBO‘s Harry Potter series has found its leading trio.
The network revealed on Tuesday that Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout have been cast as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively. These young actors, all new to the screen, will be portraying the iconic characters created by J.K. Rowling in her book series and famously portrayed in the film adaptations by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
Series showrunner and EP Francesca Gardiner and EP Mark Mylod praised the three actors in the following statement:
“Following an extensive search overseen by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are thrilled to announce that we have discovered our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent displayed by these three actors is truly remarkable, and we are excited for audiences worldwide to see their magic onscreen. We want to express our gratitude to the many thousands of children who auditioned. It has been a joy to uncover the abundance of young talent out there.”
Joining the cast in this new project are John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, along with Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Critics have already given their two cents about the show’s latest casting announcement, arguing on X that “they could never replace the trio from the movies.”
“the remake is gonna be so bad i’m sorry for them,” another added.
“May this series collapse under the weight of its own mediocrity,” one scorned.
Others questioned the side-by-side comparisons being posted by outlets publicizing the casting announcement, claiming that this incited further debate and derogatory comments about the young actors. Many fans clapped back at haters that had offensive and even racist thoughts to share, particularly those surrounding the casting of Stanton as Hermione.
Of course, further discourse was sparked as to whether the casting “is accurate” to Rowling’s books. Nonetheless, HBO describes the upcoming series as “a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter books by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling.”
“Each season will bring Harry Potter to new and existing audiences, streaming exclusively on HBO Max where itâs available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy and the UK,” the network added.
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