The Harry Potter movies, much like the books on which they were based, created some of the biggest and most transformative pop culture moments of the 21st century. Those eight movies chronicling a young wizard as he went from “The Boy Who Lived” to the hero of Hogwarts (and the Wizarding World as a whole) were nothing short of brilliant and remain some of the best fantasy films of all time. Soon, we’ll be able to experience it all again when the Harry Potter TV series lands on HBO and with a Max subscription.
First announced back in 2023, the long-in-the-works upcoming book-to-screen adaptation is closer than ever to coming to fruition, and we have all sorts of information about the highly anticipated project. From the young actors who’ll play Harry, Hermione, and Ron to a possible release window and everything in between, there’s a lot to break down on this ambitious take on J.K. Rowling’s beloved wizarding novels…
What Is The Harry Potter TV Show’s Premiere Date?
An exact Harry Potter TV show premiere date has not yet been announced, but it sounds like it will hit the airwaves (and one of the best streaming services) at some point in 2026. In a February 2024 earnings call (via Variety), Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed that the show would land on Max at some point in 2026. A little more than a year later, in a March 2025 earnings call, the WB Discovery chief once again teased a 2026 debut, but didn’t provide any additional details.
The Harry Potter TV Show Cast
Over the course of 10 years and eight movies (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two theatrical releases), we watched as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and the various other younger members of the Harry Potter cast grew from small children to young adults, becoming massive superstars in the process. But we won’t be seeing those actors in the upcoming TV adaptation, at least not in the roles that made them famous all those years ago. Now it appears that will be the case once more.
In May 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that, following a casting call that saw nearly 32,000 young actors, the three main roles in the upcoming series had been filled. Domnicic McLaughlin is set to play Harry Potter while Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout have been picked to play Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively. In a statement, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod had this to say about the three:
After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.
Though the three main characters in the Harry Potter series are newcomers to the acting world, the adults who’ll make up the cast have more than enough experience to help lead and guide the youngsters, much like the characters they’ll be playing (for the most part, anyway). Here’s everyone else who’s been announced for the new series:
- John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
- Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall
- Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape
- Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
- Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell
- Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch
What Is The Harry Potter TV Show About
Another point of interest when it comes to the Harry Potter TV series is that the HBO series is planned to be released over the course of a decade, with each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books being adapted. While it hasn’t yet been revealed if this will translate to 10 seasons released in consecutive years or seven seasons (one per book) with some seasons being broken up into parts, the plan for a decade-long series, especially one that includes what WB is describing as a “faithful adaptation,” is exciting news and should have fans feeling very optimistic about its future.
The Harry Potter Teaser
When Warner Bros. Discovery announced the Harry Potter TV show back in 2023, the company’s various social channels, like its official Twitter account, released a brief teaser trailer welcoming everyone to Hogwarts:
As you probably noticed by now, the teaser doesn’t offer any major details about the show, its cast, or how it will adapt the beloved fantasy books into a TV show, but the Great Hall’s floating candles and John Williams’ iconic score are more than enough to hold us over for now. And with production set to get underway soon (more on that below) and the main cast ironed out, it shouldn’t be too much longer before we get to see some actual footage from the upcoming series.
The Harry Potter TV Show Will Be A ‘Faithful’ Adaptation Of J.K. Rowling’s Book Series
Though the Harry Potter movies did a tremendous job of bringing J.K. Rowling’s books to life on the big screen, there was a lot that was left out in the adaptations, most likely due to the length of the later novels. Well, that hopefully won't be a problem with the Harry Potter series as the TV format allows for a “faithful adaptation” of the source material, as Warner Bros. Discovery has announced. Following the big announcement, Rowling had this to say about the massive project:
Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I'm looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.
Max has also announced that the new show will be “authentic to the original books” and will bring the popular property to new audiences around the world, as Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content put it:
We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.
But this doesn’t mean that the eight Harry Potter movies will be yesterday’s news, as Warner Bros. holds the films “at the core of the franchise.”
Succession’s Francesca Gardiner Will Be The Harry Potter Showrunner
In June 2024, THR reported that Succession’s Francesca Gardiner had been announced as the series’ showrunner. But Gardiner won’t be alone with the daunting task of turning seven iconic novels into a TV series, as Mark Mylod will also be working on the creative team and directing multiple episodes, though an exact number has not yet been determined. Mylod, who previously directed an episode of Game of Thrones, most recently directed THAT episode of The Last of Us Season 2, though it’s unlikely anything in the Harry Potter show comes close to the heartbreak and anguish of one particular scene..
J.K. Rowling Will Serve As An Executive Producer For The Harry Potter Series
Though J.K. Rowling won’t be writing the Harry Potter TV series, the author responsible for the landmark fantasy franchise will be serving as an executive producer. We don’t yet know how much Rowling will be involved with the day-to-day of the series, but she is expected to be involved with the decision-making process throughout its development and production.
This won’t be the first time Rowling has had a say in an adaptation of her popular book series, as she helped Steve Kloves when the screenwriter was working on the scripts for the various Harry Potter movies. She later received producer credits for the final two entries in the series as well as the three Fantastic Beasts movies, which were based on characters she created.
Production On The Harry Potter TV Series Will Kick Off In Summer 2025
We don’t yet know how long the shoot will last (or how many books will be adapted during this first season), but we do know that production on the Harry Potter TV Series will kick off at some point this summer. According to Variety, the cameras will start rolling on the series at Leavesden Studios in England, the same shooting location used in the movies earlier this century.
With the summer right around the corner, expect to start hearing about the shoot and possibly see some behind-the-scenes photos very soon..
How To Watch The Harry Potter Movies
Considering we’re still at least a year until the Harry Potter TV show comes out on HBO and streaming on Max, there’s plenty of time to go back and watch the original eight movies. If you want to watch all the Harry Potter movies in order (at least those about “The Boy Who Lived”), now’s your golden opportunity, because they’re all streaming on Max at this moment (they are also available for anyone with a Peacock subscription).
But again, there’s still plenty of time, so don’t feel like you have to rush through all seven years of Harry’s education and adventures and battles at Hogwarts!
- Stream The Harry Potter Collection on Max.
- Stream The Harry Potter Collection on Peacock.
- Rent/Buy The Harry Potter Collection on Amazon.
- Buy The Harry Potter 4K UHD Blu-Ray Collection on Amazon.
How To Read The Harry Potter Books In Order
But if you really want to have some fun while you wait for the Harry Potter TV show, now’s a good time to go back and read J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels for the first time in a while or for the first time entirely. Whether you want to revisit these classic stories, find out what all the fuss was about in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, or start making a list of scenes left out of the movies you want to see in the series, these seven incredible novels will do the trick. Here are the Harry Potter book titles in order:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the UK)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Paperback collections are available on Amazon (or your local library), as are the hardcover editions and those beautifully crafted illustrated versions that have been coming out over the past decade.
With production gearing up to take off and the anticipation building to the 2026 premiere of the Harry Potter TV show, expect to hear a lot more about the series and all its developments in the coming weeks and months.
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