Harry Potter TV show trailer: Everything we know so far

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Paul Glynn,Culture reporterand

Maia Davies

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Aidan Monaghan/HBO

The first trailer for the forthcoming Harry Potter TV series has been released.

Here is everything we know so far about the HBO reboot, which is a spin-off from the original books and the subsequent film franchise.

What is in the trailer?

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Alastair Stout, Dominic McLaughlin and Arabella Stanton will play the main trio in the new series

Wednesday’s two-minute video takes us all the way from the Dursleys’ - including a shot of Harry in his famous cupboard under the stairs - to Hogwarts.

It gives us our first glimpse of Uncle Vernon and also Aunt Petunia, who can be heard telling her nephew there is “nothing special” about him just as his Hogwarts letter arrives.

We’re then shown Hagrid shepherding Harry across London to King’s Cross station to catch the iconic Hogwarts Express.

And while we don’t get a real view of platform nine-and-three-quarters, we do get some real Potter sights: the lightning scar, the circular glasses and a flash of red hair as Harry spies the Weasleys through the train window.

After we reach Hogwarts, we get our first shots of a whole host of central characters - from Professor Snape to Dumbledore and McGonagall, Draco Malfoy and, of course, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

They really haven’t held back on detail: even the sorting hat and wand-maker Ollivander are in there.

Super fans will be zooming in on the school uniforms, the glimpse of what looks like a common room, and the Quidditch players we see walking out to a snowy pitch in full uniform, brooms at the ready.

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Does it look different to the films?

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

A new still shows Dominic McLaughlin as Harry in his Gryffindor quidditch cloak

Most of the major Potter set-pieces in the trailer are faithful to what we’ve seen before - from Harry’s scar and glasses down to the green cursive writing on his Hogwarts letter, and even the carriages on the Hogwarts Express.

It also looks like some beloved moments are in there, too - such as Harry, Hermione and Ron’s first meeting on the train, the latter with dirt on his nose - and familiar locations like the Gryffindor common room and a Herbology greenhouse are still pretty recognisable.

Costume-wise, only the Dursleys seem to have had a major change - with Hagrid’s robes, Dumbledore’s half-moon glasses and the Hogwarts uniforms generally in line with what fans will recognise.

But there are differences.

First, the series will be called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - rather than the ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’, as the first book and film were retitled in the US.

It looks like we’re going to see Harry in a “muggle”, or non-magic, school before he sets off for Hogwarts where he seems to face off with his cousin Dudley - something we haven’t seen before.

Hagrid ferrying Harry across London on the Underground will likewise be new to viewers.

It also seems Quidditch might strike a different appearance this time around - with updated uniforms and brooms.

Lara Cornell/HBO

Draco Malfoy will be played by Lox Pratt, who recently starred in Lord of the Flies

When is the TV series out?

The first series will launch in Christmas 2026 on HBO Max, according to the trailer.

But the entire production is expected to take 10 years to complete in total, as the plan is to film a series to cover each of Rowling’s seven books, which the films were originally based on.

With that in mind, Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden near Watford, where it is being made, was last summer granted permission to build a temporary school for the child actors to study in for real, when they’re not at Hogwarts.

Lara Cornell/HBO

John Lithgow and Paapa Essiedu will play professors Dumbledore and Snape

Who is in it?

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout play Hermione, Harry and Ron

More than 30,000 children auditioned after an open casting call. The chosen ones - Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout - are all relative newcomers.

Scottish actor McLaughlin will star as the titular wizard opposite Stanton as Hermione and Stout as Ron.

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Nick Frost plays Hagrid

The young cast also includes Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil and Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan. Rory Wilmot will play Neville Longbottom and Amos Kitson is portraying Dudley Dursley.

They will be joined by adult stars including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Warwick Davis is reprising his role as Professor Filius Flitwick

Earlier this week, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed to Variety that they had not yet cast an actor for the role of Harry’s arch enemy Voldemort - portrayed on the big screen by Ralph Fiennes.

Pushed on rumours about Tilda Swinton, he replied: “As a rule, I would say any rumours - don’t [believe them]. I don’t even know who we’re casting.”

There had also been speculation that Cillian Murphy would be taking on the role of Voldemort, but the Peaky Blinders actor denied the rumours. In an interview with The Times in February he said: “I’m categorically not. Can you make that the headline?”

What’s JK Rowling’s involvement?

Getty Images

Author JK Rowling is an executive producer on the series, which HBO says will be a “faithful adaptation” of her books.

Some cast members have spoken about facing criticism for taking part from those who are opposed to Rowling’s views on trans rights.

Lithgow recently told the New York Times he almost pulled out of playing Dumbledore over the backlash.

“Every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life, this will come up,” he said.

Speaking to Deadline last year, Hagrid actor Frost said he did not agree “in any way” with Rowling’s views on the matter.

“She’s allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.”

Last year, Essiedu was one of more than 400 actors to sign a petition calling for the UK entertainment industry to protect the trans community.

Rowling responded by saying she would not and could not fire actors who disagreed with her. “I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”

Meanwhile, Essiedu has told the Sunday Times he has received death threats from racist trolls who think a black actor shouldn’t play Snape.

Bloys told Variety the producers had installed “serious security” on set as a result of such threats.

“With all actors on any kind of big IP shows - and this is obviously one of those where you’ve got passionate fans, people with a lot of opinions - it can get scary in places,” he said.

Has Daniel Radcliffe been on set yet?

Not that we know… unless he used his wizardry skills to sneak in unnoticed.

But he has written to the new Harry Potter.

The original star of the decade-long noughties movie franchise, now 36, revealed in November that he had sent a letter to McLaughlin, who then sent a “very sweet note back”.

Getty Images

Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint played the original Hermione, Harry and Ron

Radcliffe told Good Morning America he had written directly to McLaughlin after the child star was cast in the lead role.

McLaughlin’s predecessor - who was also 11 when he began work on the first Harry Potter movie - wished the youngster and his co-stars all the best for the production, saying: “I just want to hug them.”

He added: "I don’t want to be a spectre in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did - I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time’.

“And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them.”

He added: “They just seem so young. I just look at them and say, ‘Oh it’s crazy I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet and I hope they’re having a great time.”

Rupert Grint, who played Ron in the original films, had also reached out to his successor, Stout, ahead of filming. The 37-year-old told the BBC in November: "I wrote him a letter, before they started, passing the baton as it were.

“It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience.”

Grint added that he could see a “a bit of family resemblance” between himself and Stout.

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