Original Harry Potter cast members, from left, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. Screengrab from Warner Bros Pictures via Harry Potter / YouTube
The upcoming “Harry Potter” series announced their search for the next generation of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger as an open casting call kicked off.
HBO confirmed to Variety the legitimacy of the announcement circulating on social media that says the production of the new “Harry Potter” series is looking for young actors aged 9-11 in April 2025 and must be residents of the UK or Ireland.
The casting call also emphasized that they are “committed to inclusive, diverse casting” and noted that the only way to send an application is through their Cast It website, as they don’t authorize other websites to promote.
Based on the description, the applicants must send two self-tapes, one video reciting any “short poem or story,” except from “Harry Potter,” while the second clip is an introduction about themselves, citing examples of date of birth, height, and place of residence. It also asks the applicants to use their own accents.
The release date of the series hasn’t been announced, but the casting call stated that production is expected to film in the UK during 2025 to 2026.
Author of the seven “Harry Potter” books, J.K. Rowling took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the casting call announcement, simply writing, “So, this is happening… [lightning emoji].”
In April 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new era is coming for Harry Potter fans as they are set to adapt all seven books for a TV series. Two months after, the company said that the production is moving to HBO, citing “budgeting strategies.”
It is also expected that there will be seven seasons for the show, each season adapting one of the Harry Potter books. Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who worked on Succession, will also serve as writer and director, respectively.
In an interview with Comic Book last year, Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter for the original film series, said that he’s “excited” to watch the new adaptation, yet he is uncertain if he will make a cameo or any of the original cast members.
“My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh, and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” he explained.
“So I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it,” he added.
In August 2000, Radcliffe, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron were picked to play the iconic trio.