‘Harry Potter’ Casting Rumor Mill Hits Overdrive With Big Names Eyed For Iconic Roles – The Dish

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If there was awareness tracking for a TV series slated to premiere in two years, HBO‘s Harry Potter would score through the roof.

From the moment the “faithful adaptation” of the beloved book series by J.K. Rowling was officially announced in April 2023 as a “decade-long series,” the project has been the subject of unprecedented fan interest and scrutiny, from author Rowling’s role as executive producer in light of some of her controversial statements through every creative development, including the elaborate search for a writer, which resulted in the hire of Succession‘s Francesca Gardiner.

The frenzy has now reached fever pitch as the series has begun casting ahead of its summer 2025 start of production. As Gardiner revealed this week that some 32,000 kids had sent audition tapes for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron, the series’ producers and casting director Lucy Bevan also have been busy compiling wish lists and checking availabilities of well known British actors for the adult starring roles in one of the most closely watched casting processes ever.

Amid a level of secrecy and draconian NDAs of Marvel proportions for all talent involved, there has been a trickle of names rumored for some of the most iconic roles, which are expected to be cast younger than the movies. (Gardiner and series director Mark Mylod revealed this week that they will stick to the “canonical” ages, which means that Severus Snape, for example, will only be 31 and the Dursleys will be much younger than they were in the films.) The first name to make the rounds was Oscar winner Mark Rylance for the role of Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, played by the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the movies. Mark Strong more