When Max announced that it would be reimagining the Harry Potter movies for a ‘decade-long series’, it excited fans everywhere thanks to Max’s global rollout, especially those in the UK that could gain long-awaited access to one one of the best streaming services. While there’s still a while yet to go until we can hop back on the Hogwarts Express (a 2027 launch is targeted), mentions of the next slew of Hogwarts professors have been floating around – and it could be one of our first major insights to the Harry Potter revival.
Though the upcoming Max series has been subjected to much scrutiny after it was announced that J.K. Rowling would serve as executive producer following her online controversy, it didn’t stop 32,000 kids from auditioning for the leading trio; Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After the show’s enlisted writer Francesca Gardiner (Netflix’s Succession) revealed this and Max’s announcement of a summer 2025 production start date, a new slew of names started making rounds, starting with stage and screen actor Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).
Wands at the ready. The upcoming HBO Original Series, #HarryPotter, will be filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden with production beginning in Summer 2025 and coming to Max. pic.twitter.com/6JSOA20w52December 5, 2024
Among the speculation, Oscar winner Rylance is tipped to take on the role as everyone’s favorite headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a character brought to life by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the movies, respectively. In addition to Rylance, Mark Strong is another name that cropped up as a potential fulfillment for the role, so it could go either way.
Following his appearance in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, actor Paapa Essiedu surfaced as another name proposed to join the new faculty of Max’s Hogwarts, stepping into the shoes of everyone’s favorite potions master Severus Snape. An exciting prospect, but one that’s difficult to serve justice following Alan Rickman’s unforgettable portrayal in the movies.
But it’s not just Oscar winners and BAFTA nominees that have entered the run of rumors. Gardiner and series director Mark Mylod have apparently been eyeing up Emmy nominee and creator of one of the best Apple TV Plus shows Bad Sisters, Sharon Horgan, for Professor Minerva McGonagell, as well as Emmy winner Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) for the loveable part-giant Rubeus Hagrid.
The most interesting part about these possible casting choices is Gardiner and Mylod’s dedication to reimagining the Harry Potter series in the best interest of the original literature works – and that means casting roles as they were ‘canonically’ written.
According to Deadline, this means that the character of Snape will be aged 31-years-old and even the Dursley family, Harry’s belligerent guardians, will be more youthful than the movies’ depictions. Regardless of who Max decides to cast, it’ll be very interesting to see which newbie actors will have their lives changed forever in what will undoubtedly become one of the best Max shows