"May they be protected from the horrible hate they're about to receive"— Fans react as HBO reveals three young leads for Harry Potter reboot series

HBO has released the official cast list for its upcoming Harry Potter TV show. In a press release shared on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod announced the lead trio, reported Variety.

Per the statement, Dominic McLaughlin will play the namesake protagonist. Meanwhile, Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout is Ron Weasley. The casting decision comes after HBO launched an open casting last fall, with over 30,000 actors having auditioned since.

Here's a look at the beloved lead trio:

As the announcement went viral, internet users were quick to react. One wrote:

"May they be protected from the horrible hate they're about to receive."

Many expressed their delight at the casting decision, noting it was "book-accurate."

"Honestly pretty good, IMO. I’ll never be able to untangle the original cast from my mental image of the characters but this is actually pretty good," one commented.

"Good casting. It's an encouraging sign that they're going in a more book-accurate direction with this Harry Potter adaptation," another added.

"We will be there! Big shoes to fill!" an excited fan noted.

Others were not so happy. Meanwhile, some questioned casting people of color as "mudblood" characters (a derogatory term in the Harry Potter series referencing Muggle-born (non-magical parents) or half-blood (at least one non-magical parent or grandparent) witches and wizards.

"Surprised they didn’t go full woke," one wrote.

"I sense some dei with hermione," another wrote.

"Ah yes now mudblood is gonna be even more racist and harry being immediately suspicious of the one black professor is gonna go so well," a person pointed out.

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"The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold"—Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod about casting the lead trio for the Harry Potter TV show

In the press release, Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod explained that the "extraordinary" search was spearheaded by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann. Praising the actors playing Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron, they added:

"The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen."

Notably, the movies saw Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in the aforementioned roles. This launched the careers of the three actors.

Last October, HBO told Variety that they were working with J.K. Rowling (author of the book series) on a Harry Potter series. Per Variety, filming for the show is set to begin this summer at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, U.K.

According to Variety, while McLaughlin, Stanton, and Stout are relatively new to the industry, McLaughlin has previously appeared in the Nick Frost starrer Grow, and Stanton starred as the protagonist in a West End production of Matilda: The Musical. Meanwhile, Harry Potter is Stout's first major role.

Other cast members include John Lithgow (as Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (as Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (as Severus Snape), and Nick Frost (as Rubeus Hagrid). Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse play Quirinus Quirrell and Argus Filch, respectively, reported the BBC.

Per the outlet, J.K. Rowling, who is an executive producer on the Harry Potter TV show, has previously stated that it would be a "faithful adaptation" of her books. She explained that the show could span a decade, allowing for in-depth explorations of plotlines in the heptalogy.

According to The Independent, Rowling took to X to note she "couldn’t be happier" about the casting.

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The show is scheduled for a 2026 release.