Almost twenty-five years ago, newcomers Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were cast to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in what would become one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. Now, that process begins all over again. HBO has been developing a new Harry Potter TV series, and an open casting call was recently posted that is inclusive of all races, ethnicities, and gender identities.
The casting call for the Harry Potter series is looking for children who are residents of the U.K. and Ireland and will be between the ages of 9 and 11 in April 2025. “We are committed to inclusive, diverse casting,” the notice reads. “For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by law unless otherwise specifically indicated.“
Those who are interested are being asked to submit two short self-tapes. The first involves reading a short story or poem (it makes note not to choose anything from Harry Potter), and the second asks the actors to talk about themselves. “Please prepare a short poem or story of your choosing. It can be from your favourite book, a poem that you love, a monologue from a play or something you’ve created yourself. Please, nothing from ‘Harry Potter’. Please use your own accent. 30 seconds maximum!” the notice reads. “[The second is] a short video telling us a bit about yourself, including your date of birth, height and where you live. In addition, please describe any family member, friend or pet that you are particularly close to. Please use your own accent. One minute maximum.” The deadline for submissions is October 31st with the series expected to shoot in the U.K. throughout 2025-2026.
It was revealed earlier this summer that Succession‘s Francesca Gardiner had been tapped to serve as writer and showrunner, while Mark Mylod signed on to executive produce and direct multiple episodes. The project was originally developed for Max but made the leap to HBO (along with a variety of other Max shows) in June.
Each season of the Harry Potter TV series is said to cover one of J.K. Rowling’s novels, for a total of seven seasons. While the movies were able to fit quite a lot in, there were plenty of moments cut from the novels that the TV series will finally be able to bring to life. Last year, the studio released a statement saying, “Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.“