The search is on for new actors to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in the new show.
An open casting call started yesterday for kids in the UK and Ireland to try out for the main roles in the upcoming HBO series. The notice hints that production might start in April 2025, and it says the young actors should be between 9 and 11 years old by then.
That’s seven months from now, the same amount of time it took to find Daniel Radcliffe in 2000 for the role of Harry Potter when he was 11. His co-stars, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, were 10 and 12 years old then.
The casting call says, “We are dedicated to inclusive and diverse casting.” It asks that all talented performers be considered for every role, no matter their ethnicity, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity, unless a specific requirement is mentioned.
The fantasy series used a similar approach in the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child stage production, where they cast Noma Dumezweni as Hermione.
For the first round of auditions, candidates need to send in two videos of themselves speaking in their regular accent. In the first video, which should be under 30 seconds, they should read a short story or poem, but it can’t be from Harry Potter. In the second video, which can be up to a minute long, they should talk about themselves and share about a family member, friend, or pet they are close to.
The casting call comes after HBO hired Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod from Succession as the writer and director for the Harry Potter series, following a long search for a showrunner.
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The series started on Max before moving to HBO. It is a “faithful” adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books and will have a new cast.
Harry Potter is made by Warner Bros Television and Rowling’s Brontë Film and TV. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts from Brontë Film and TV will be executive producers, along with Gardiner, Mylod, and David Heyman from Heyday Films, who made the original movies.
Source: Deadline