HBO has kicked off its search for the next Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, with the studio posting an open casting call for its forthcoming TV adaptation.
The casting call – which the studio confirmed to the Guardian was authentic – is looking for children who will be between the ages of 9 and 11 in April 2025. They will audition to play the boy wizard and his two magical friends as they go on coming-of-age adventures and fight evil at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
While all aspiring actors must be residents of the UK and Ireland, producers are “committed to inclusive, diverse casting”, the advert said, and it will be open to all races, ethnicities and gender identities.
The casting call is asking for each prospective actor to submit two short self-tapes, including a short poem or story – but nothing from Harry Potter.
“Please use your own accent,” the casting call states.
The new series, announced last year by HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, will run for at least seven seasons on Max, the streaming service previously known as HBO Max, with each season “authentic” to each of the original, wildly popular books written by JK Rowling. Rowling will serve as an executive producer on the “decade-long” series.
The announcement about the TV adaptation was met with mixed reactions among fans of the Potter universe, with some feeling that the longer format would allow for all the details that were left out of the movie adaptations, while others were conflicted over continuing their support for Rowling despite her views on transgender issues.
Rowling’s extended world of Harry Potter – which includes the books, films, video games and a theatre show – is worth an estimated £20bn ($25bn).
Casting for the movie adaptations 25 years ago was fraught with rumours and gossip, with Rowling insisting that the cast be British. The trio of characters were eventually brought to the screen by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson – all of whom were relatively unknown at the time they were cast.
“Harry Potter was my home, my family, my world and Hermione (still is) my favourite fictional character of all time,” Watson wrote on Instagram to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first film.
While no release date for the series has been set, Warner Bros Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, said in February that the show is targeting a 2026 release date.
