Great news for all the Harry Potter fans out there: They will get to witness the magic of Hogwarts again. At a recent event, writer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer Mark Mylod shared casting updates about the upcoming Harry Potter series. Warner Bros. Discovery will start filming for the much-anticipated series in the summer of 2025 at the iconic Leavesden Studios in the UK- the location where the original movies were shot. Workshops for shortlisted candidates will begin in January.

Francesca and Mark also shared casting updates, as they revealed that 32,000 children auditioned for various roles, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, originally played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.

The producer also revealed that the team aims to review 500 to 1,000 audition tapes daily. The cast is yet to be finalised and a shortlist is expected by January. 

The Hollywood Reporter reported that during the Max presentation in London, Mylod said, “We haven’t made any final choices, but we’re workshopping with a shortlist in January. And there are some crackers. They’re currently focusing on “the cream of British acting talent, this incredible tradition of brilliant theatre actors and, of course, we’re following the books with the canonical casting."

Gardiner said they will cast actors true to the characters’ ages. For example, Professor Severus Snape will be portrayed as 31 years old, while Lily and James Potter will be 21. Mark Mylod also spoke about the challenge of replacing the late Alan Rickman, who portrayed the legendary Snape in the original Harry Potter films. He said, “No one can replace him." 

Several reports claim that HBO is planning to take on board Paapa Essiedu for the role of Snape. Reports also suggest that Mark Rylance might play Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, previously played by Michael Gambon and Richard Harris in the original films.