A total of 32,000 children have participated in the auditions for the reboot of Harry Potter produced by HBO, as revealed by the showrunner Francesca Gardiner. The information was published by Deadline after the Max Showcase event, held this month in London, where thousands of young people seek to play the characters of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley y Hermione Granger; same ones that at the time fell into the hands of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint y Emma Watson.
The selection process, which has been ongoing for several months, began when the casting director, Lucy Bevan, launched an open call aimed at children residing in the United Kingdom and Ireland, between nine and eleven years old by April 2025. In In the first stage, candidates had to send two videos: in one, they performed an interpretation of a story or poem; in the other, they talked about themselves and a family member, friend, or pet.
According to DeadlineBevan’s team has already started chemistry tests with some of the shortlisted young actors. The participants who continue in the process are in various stages of selection, and it is expected that the final decision on the protagonists will be announced soon. Gardiner stated at the Max Showcase thatThe team reviews up to 1,000 auditions a day to find “the best British talent”. Sources cited by the media indicated that casting executives usually determine in less than a minute whether a candidate deserves to advance to the next round.
In parallel, news about the adult cast is expected before filming begins at the Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, the same place where the original films were filmed.
Among the most prominent rumors is the actor Cillian Murphywho has been proposed by Ralph Fiennes as a possible Voldemort. At the same time, Mark Rylance sounds like a favorite to play Albus Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu would be in talks for the role of Severus Snape. The latter has generated great controversy on social networks due to the racial origin of the actor, which is far from the description of the character in the book and the interpretation of actor Alan Rickman.
On the other hand, the costume designer Holly Waddingtonrecognized for her work in Poor Thingshas been confirmed as part of the series’ creative team. Additionally, visual effects studio Framestore is reportedly in talks to collaborate on the production. The creative team also includes Josephine Gardiner, Andy Greenwald y Laura Nealscreenwriter of Killing Evewhile Mark Mylod will direct several episodes.
Regarding the production schedule, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that the premiere of the series has been delayed until 2027. JB Perrette, the company’s global director of streaming, explained that the decision responds to the planning of a long-term project: “As we look ahead to 2026 and 2027, we begin a 10-year journey with the series of Harry Pottersomething that excites us enormously. I would say that, when that time comes, it will be the biggest event on television“said the executive.
