‘Tis the season for reboots! The recent success of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series and even the smash hit no one saw coming means it’s time to look to the future to see what’s next on the list for modern reboots. Whether you like it or not, the Harry Potter films are considered old by Hollywood’s standards, meaning a modern re-imagining is officially on its way complete with a brand-new cast. Things are moving over at Warner Bros. and HBO: arrangements are being made, pieces are being put into place for the serialization of J.K. Rowling’s books, and the most challenging creative hurdle is already being discussed.
Naturally, there are lots of questions about the upcoming show, the first of which has to be who’s going to star in it. Whoever that ultimately is, Warner Bros. will have a tough time living up to the legacy of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. What do we actually know about the potential cast so far?
Has ‘Harry Potter’ casting begun?
According to Variety, J.K. Rowling (who, yes, unfortunately appears to be closely involved) has already met with studio executives to discuss the HP game plan. The show is set to air in 2026, so no, casting has not yet begun and therefore no official cast members have been announced. The process of casting for the iconic roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is going to be crucial to the show’s overall success, and studio execs are aware that they can’t cast too soon lest we have another Stranger Things scenario on our hands, with the actors looking too old for their roles as the show progresses.
“The tricky part is the first two books, where the kids are on the younger end, around 11 or 12,” Warner Bros. Television chairperson Channing Dungey told Variety. Of course, before the studio even thinks about the cast, it needs to sort out a showrunner ⏤ another item at the top of its to-do list. Once that happens and a creative direction is established, more dedicated casting conversations are likely to follow.
Of course, just because it might be too early to cast the child actors doesn’t mean we can’t start speculating about who could round out the adult cast. Who’s going to play Dumbledore? Hagrid? Professor Snape? Will any of Hollywood’s elite even want to take part in the project given Rowling’s hateful speech regarding the transgender community? Once again, there are no answers yet, and it looks like we’ll be waiting a while until we can truly start getting hyped (or openly dread) the Harry Potter reboot. Maybe by the time it finally comes out on Max, it won’t feel like it’s all happening too soon after the original films. Somehow I doubt it, as the original films are timeless classics, but hey, with a good cast and talented people behind the scenes, anything is possible. Or Warner Bros. can just make the Harry Potter spinoff fans actually want.