The three lead child stars for the Harry Potter TV series have finally been announced after months of speculation.
Set to forge a successful career in television, the talented trio to play the iconic wizards have been confirmed.
Dominic McLaughlin has bagged the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermoine Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley.
The three lucky children have been chosen to start filming this summer after standing out among more than 32,000 audition tapes from the UK and Ireland.
JK Rowling’s popular seven-book series, which was previously adapted into successful films featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, will now be transformed into a seven-season TV series.
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Dominic McLaughlin has bagged the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermoine Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley
The lucky three children are set to start filming this summer and have been picked from more than 32,000 audition tapes from across the UK and Ireland; pictured Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint 2001
The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million an episode and the three child actors could land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars.
Producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod praised the ‘wonderful’ talent of the three newcomers.
They 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 talented youngsters are used to acting and all have various experiences on stage or behind the camera.
Following in Daniel Radcliffe’s footsteps, Dominic played Oliver Gregory in a film titled Grow, also starring Alan Carr, Golda Rosheuvel and Nick Frost.
Alastair, who will be taking on the role of Ron Weasley, featured in an advert for albert Bartlett’s Jersey Royal potatoes.
While Arabella has been on the West End and starred as Matilda in Matilda The Musical back in 2023.
The young star also played Control in Starlight Express last year.
Alastair, who will be taking on the role of Ron Weasley, featured in an advert for albert Bartlett’s Jersey Royal potatoes
Arabella, who is set to play the iconic bookworm Hermione Granger, previously played the titular role in Matilda: The Musical
Last week, it was reported that this big-budget new series will be filmed in a £1 billion mini-centre, complete with its own school and medical centre.
Producers have poured money into the vast new studio at Leavesden, just outside Watford, Hertfordshire.
The site will include a school for the hundreds of yound actors who are committed to filming the show, while another facility is being erected for the large numbers of animals expected to feature.
A source told The Sun: ‘Warner Bros are making a huge commitment to the new TV show, looking at making multiple, lengthy series over the next decade.
‘So they see pumping a huge amount of cash in upfront to construct this infrastructure as a worthwhile investment which they’ll eventually get a return on.
‘What they’ll have is a small metropolis which will not only provide the backdrop for the show but all the facilities the huge cast and crew need, too.’
It comes as some of the casting choices of the long-standing Hollywood stars confirmed for the series have been hit with backlash from fans.
Emmy, Olivier, and BAFTA nominee Paapa Essiedu is set to play Severus Snape, who was portrayed by Alan Rickman in the films.
The late Alan Rickman notably portrayed the role of the potions professor throughout Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter film franchise from 2001 through 2011.
However, when rumours first swirled of Paapa securing the role it prompted some to share their thoughts on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One penned, ‘I’m sorry but there is only one man who can be Professor Snape. Shame on HBO for going near this. It’s just going to ruin something that should be left well alone.’
Another typed, ‘Paapa Essiedu shouldn’t take this role for his own benefit. He could be the best actor in the world but he doesn’t fit the characteristics of Snape from the book.’
‘I don’t understand the push to change everything from the original context,’ they added.
Another wrote, ‘Paapa Essiedu is being eyed for the role of Professor Severus Snape in the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ TV series. Another classic that goes woke.’
While when John Lithgow was cast as Albus Dumbledore, some fans were not happy about the casting of an American actor to play the British character, particularly given JK Rowling’s insistance that the cast of the original films be British.
Taking to X, fans wrote: ‘I can’t understand why John Lithgow is the new Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter HBO series. Dumbledore is British, Lithgow is from the USA.’
‘Nothing against John Lithgow, but Dumbledore and the whole Harry Potter franchise is British.’
The young trio will join A-listers John Lithgow, 79, as Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse, 67, as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, 53, as Rubeus Hagrid as they film at Warner Bros’s 200-acre studio in Leavesden Herts.
Emmy, Olivier, and BAFTA nominee Paapa Essiedu (pictured) is set to play Severus Snape, who was portrayed by Alan Rickman in the films
The late Alan Rickman notably portrayed the role of the potions professor throughout Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter film franchise from 2001 through 2011
While when John Lithgow was cast as Albus Dumbledore, some fans were not happy about the casting of an American actor to play the British character, particularly given JK Rowling’s insistence that the cast of the original films be British
The character, played by Michael Gambon in the final six of eight Harry Potter films, is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts and a mentor to the title character
The new child stars will take on the lead characters Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the TV reboot; pictured 2004
Entertainment writer James Hibberd previously told The Sun: ‘While the confirmed adult actors are pros, casting kids is always a gamble and their chemistry is key to the story’s charm.’
Hollywood finance expert Martin Cobb added: ‘There’s absolutely no reason to suppose they won’t easily exceed the incomes of the three original stars.’
The original three stars, who were just 11-years-old when they found fame, are now worth a staggering amount.
Daniel, now 35, has an estimated net worth of £82.5million, while Emma, 35, bagged £64million and Rupert, 36, earned £37.5million.
A senior production source told the publication: ‘The hope is that this becomes the most lucrative TV series of all time. But that hinges on how two young boys and a girl manage to bond — as well as coping with instant fame.’
The new series aims to ‘lead a new generation of fandom’ and hopes to recapture the beloved details Harry Potter fans have enjoyed for 25 years.
It could have been a touching full circle moment that would have seen Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reunite as part of the franchise for the first time since the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011.
The reason many of the roles have been re-cast is because the original stars such as Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Dame Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman have passed away. There is nothing to say that the reboot needs to have an entirely new set of actors.
JK Rowling ‘s seven hit books which were originally made into films starring Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will now be made into seven seasons; pictured 2005
The trio will join A-listers John Lithgow, 79, as Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse, 67, as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, 53, as Rubeus Hagrid as they film at Warner Bros’s 200-acre studio in Leavesden Herts; pictured JK Rowling
But it has become increasingly apparent that the chance of a reunion or any sort of cameo seems less than likely, given their very public feud with JK Rowling who is executive producer on the HBO series.
Only last month, she appeared to take aim at the three stars who owe her their careers when she replied to a tweet asking: ‘What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?’
Without missing a beat, Rowling cryptically wrote: ‘Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.’
The author’s relationship has deteriorated with the original cast following her remarks about the trans community in 2020, in which she said she believed women were defined by their biological sex and not their gender identity.
She strongly denies that she is transphobic.
Daniel confirmed he and Rowling no longer speak after the writer insisted she would never forgive the younger stars of the film franchise for speaking out against her views on trans rights.
Meanwhile Emma and Rupert have also taken a strong stance against her.
Daniel’s career has appeared to slow down in the last few years.
After his famous breakout role, Daniel went on to star in films like The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, Victor Frankenstein and The Lost City alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
He also received greater critical acclaim, bagging his first Emmy nomination for playing the titular role in 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and winning a Tony Award for his performance as Charley Kringas in 1981 Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along.
The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million an episode and the three child actors could land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars; pictured 2009
However instead of acting, Daniel appears to just be working on voiceovers, as his most recent work sees him voice King Jeremy in cartoon series Mulligan.
After main roles starring in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the live action version of Beauty And The Beast and Little Women, Emma took a step back from acting.
The star left the limelight to embark on a Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University.
Meanwhile Rupert has even admitted he was close to leaving acting all together after the birth of his daughter in 2021.
He confessed he had never felt ‘comfortable’ with being famous and considered turning his hand to another trade.
