Francesca Gardiner: Last News

Warner Bros. Discovery‘s Harry Potter television series is set to begin filming this summer. They have found a costume designer in Holly Waddington, who recently won an Oscar in her craft for Poor Things. Killing Eve scribe Laura Neal has joined the writers room. Deadline exclusively profiled showrunner Francesca Gardiner with insighta from her colleagues and more.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO continues to put together the cast puzzle of its high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular Harry Potter fantasy books. The latest major piece appears to be British actor-comedian Nick Frost, who is nearing a deal to play half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, Deadline has learned.

HBO are busy in pre-production on their TV adaptation of the Harry Potter series and reports are emerging of further major cast additions.The new version of the J.K. Rowling saga was confirmed in April 2023, with each of the seven original books to receive its own season.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO is closing in on two more main cast members for its high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular Harry Potter fantasy books. Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Janet McTeer is in negotiations to play Professor Minerva McGonagall, sources tell Deadline. Additionally, Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu, one of the first actors identified for the series, is closing his deal to portray Professor Severus Snape, I hear. They are poised to join John Lithgow, who, as Deadline reported exclusively, will be playing Professor Albus Dumbledore.

John Lithgow is opening up about about joining HBO’s Harry Potter series where he will take on the role of Albus Dumbledore.

EXCLUSIVE: A beloved actor is poised to play a beloved Harry Potter character. Six-time Emmy winner John Lithgow is in final negotiations to portray Professor Albus Dumbledore in HBO‘s high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy books, sources tell Deadline.

UPDATED with latest: Warner Bros. Discovery‘s Harry Potter television series is set to begin filming next summer. They have found a costume designer in Holly Waddington, who recently won an Oscar in her craft for Poor Things starring Emma Stone. Killing Eve scribe Laura Neal has joined the writers room. Deadline exclusively profiled showrunner Francesca Gardiner with quotes from her colleagues and more.

UPDATED with latest: Warner Bros. Discovery‘s Harry Potter television series is set to begin filming next summer. They have found a costume designer in Holly Waddington, who recently won an Oscar in her craft for Poor Things starring Emma Stone. Killing Eve scribe Laura Neal has joined the writers room. Deadline exclusively profiled showrunner Francesca Gardiner with quotes from her colleagues and more.

Original Harry Potter helmer Chris Columbus is praising HBO‘s forthcoming television reboot, calling it a “spectacular idea” that will allow for the exploration of previously uncharted Hogwarts hallways.

EXCLUSIVE: J.K. Rowling’s longtime agent Neil Blair has backed his client amid renewed focus on the author’s transgender views as buzz builds for the HBO Harry Potter series.

HBO’s Harry Potter reboot, showrunner Francesca Gardiner shared.Deadline reported that Gardiner shared the impressive figure during this month’s Max Showcase in London, with hordes of youngsters hoping to emulate Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.The process to find children to play Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger has been ongoing for months, after the reboot’s casting director Lucy Bevan published an open callout asking for children aged between nine and 11 as of April 2025 who are residents of the UK and Ireland.In the initial round, candidates were asked to submit two videos. In the first, they’d be performing a short story or poem, while in the second, they’d be talking about themselves as well as a family member, friend, or pet.Now, it’s thought that Bevan and her team have begun chemistry reads with some of the budding actors, as Deadline is told that the children progressing through the rounds are in various stages of recall – and a decision on casting is expected soon.Gardiner said at the Max Showcase that the team were getting through up to 1,000 tapes a day to find “some of the finest cream of British talent,” with sources telling Deadline that casting executives can get through tapes quickly, often deciding within a minute whether they want to send someone through to the next round.More news regarding the adult cast is expected to arrive reasonably soon, before shooting begins at Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: There was an audible gasp during this month’s Max Showcase in London when Francesca Gardiner, the new Harry Potter showrunner, let slip that a whopping 32,000 people had auditioned for what might well be the biggest three acting gigs of the decade.

Matt Minton mminton@variety.com Thirteen years after “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” released in theaters and brought an end to Harry’s journey on the big screen, the Harry Potter universe is gearing up for a return in the form of episodic television. Led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod of “Succession,” HBO’s take on the beloved book-turned-movie-franchise aims to bring the magical world back to life as Harry Potter discovers he’s a wizard and leaves his muggle family behind to attend Hogwarts, a school of magic. Along the way, he befriends Ron and Hermione and becomes a significant part of a plot against Lord Voldemort, or as most call him, “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” The show comes nearly 30 years after J.K.

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.

Casey Bloys was questioned by press this evening at a rare Max showcase in London as a small number of attendees were treated to sneak peeks of The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Harry Potter fans got some very exciting news about the TV retelling of the popular book and film series, which is currently in development at HBO.

Ellise Shafer Warner Bros. Discovery announced that its upcoming “Harry Potter” series will start shooting this Summer at Content London on Thursday. During a presentation at the Warner Bros.

Ralph Fiennes has tipped Cillian Murphy to play Lord Voldermort in the blockbuster Harry Potter series.

Cillian Murphy to play Voldemort in the forthcoming Harry Potter TV series.Fans have been discussing the possibility of the Oppenheimer star in the role since September and now Fiennes, who played the villain from Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire onwards in the original films, has endorsed Murphy.When asked by a fan while making an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live what he thought about the possibility, Fiennes replied: “Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion.

Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film saga, has an idea about who should play the villain in the HBO TV series.

UPDATED with latest: Killing Eve scribe Laura Neal has joined the writers room for Warner Bros. Discovery‘s Harry Potter television series. Deadline exclusively profiled showrunner Francesca Gardiner with quotes from her colleagues and more.