The controversial upcoming Harry Potter reboot has officially cast the roles of the franchise’s three leads.
After a huge open casting call, three relatively unknown youngsters have been cast in the beloved roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Dominic McLaughlin has landed the role of Harry, Arabella Stanton will be Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
The news comes after casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann travelled around the UK to audition more than 32,000 kids for the coveted roles. The casting call asked for “qualified performers” between the ages of nine and 11 who were UK residents.
Despite Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling‘s blatantly transphobic views, the casting call specified that it was insistent on “inclusive, diverse casting” and so the call out did not specify ethnicity, race, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.
“We are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron,” said showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod in a statement, per Deadline.
“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.”
While the kiddos might look fresh-faced, they’re pretty experienced in showbiz. McLaughlin has appeared in the BBC’s action series Gifted, while Stanton starred as Matilda in Matilda The Musical in London’s West End for months.
The kiddos are joined by a pretty solid cast, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrel and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
So far, the series is believed to be sticking tightly to the plot of the books, with each season following one book from the series.
The upcoming reboot has been a bit controversial from the get-go for a few reasons. Many fans of the franchise question whether a revival is needed just yet, or if another version of the beloved wizarding world might ruin the legacy of the original.
Others have criticised the series for signing J.K. Rowling on as an executive producer in light of her self-proclaimed Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) views, especially since she’s reportedly not on speaking terms with the OG magic trio, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, thanks to her staunch views.
Either way, the series is set to begin filming at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, UK to prepare for a 2026 release on HBO Max.
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