HBO has now confirmed 22 actors and their respective characters for the upcoming Harry Potter television series, which has officially started filming.

More New Cast Members Announced!

The latest cast members to be announced are Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.

At the same time, HBO revealed the first look at one of the actors in costume — none other than Harry Potter himself, played by Dominic McLaughlin, who replaces Daniel Radcliffe:

HBO’s #HarryPotter series has debuted the first look at Dominic McLaughlin as the iconic boy wizard.

Joining McLaughlin in leading the new series are Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, who have been cast as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively. They follow in the footsteps of Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

First Look at Another New Character

Now, HBO has shared a first look at another character: Rubeus Hagrid, played by Nick Frost:

Hagrid. Then (Robbie Coltrane) vs. Now (Nick Frost).

Harry Potter Casting Backlash

The Shaun of the Dead star was announced as part of the first round of cast members earlier this year, which included John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), Luke Thallon (Quirinus Quirrell), and Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch).

However, following the announcement, Frost received backlash from trans rights activists who criticized the actor for aligning himself with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling–also one of the show’s executive producers–who has made headlines over the years regarding her divisive views on gender identity.

Frost was forced to disable his Instagram account as a result.

Nick Frost in 'Shaun of the Dead'
Credit: Universal Pictures, StudioCanal

However, in an interview with The Observer (via Deadline) in June, when asked about the backlash and whether his views align with Rowling’s, Frost offered clarity, saying, “She’s allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.”

When asked whether he thinks the controversy will cast a shadow over the new series, he added, “But maybe it shouldn’t blow over? We shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves.”

As for the casting itself, Frost has some giant boots to fill, with Hagrid having been played by the late Robbie Coltrane in all eight Harry Potter films.

Hagrid smiling in 'Harry Potter'
Credit: Warner Bros.

In an interview with Collider, Frost said that Coltrane will influence his take on the Hogwarts groundskeeper, saying that he’s “really aware of what went before” and praising the late actor’s “amazing performance.”

“I’m going to try and do something, not ‘different,’ I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there’s scope for minutia,” he explained. “I always read Hagrid as he’s like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child. I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can’t wait.”

More Harry Potter TV Series Backlash

Severus Snape in Harry Potter
Credit: Warner Bros.

Frost isn’t the only new cast member to have received backlash from fans.

Announced earlier this year alongside Frost, Black actor Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror) was confirmed as the new Severus Snape, following the late Alan Rickman.

At the time of the announcement, Essiedu wrote on Instagram beneath a collage of himself and his five co-stars, Frost, Lithgow, McTeer, Thallon, and Whitehouse: “An honour and a privilege to be going on this journey with these legends. We shall eat and we shall leave no crumbs. See you at Hogwarts. Professor Snape x.”

 

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A post shared by Paapa Essiedu (@pessiedu)

However, many fans accused HBO and Warner Bros. of “race-swapping” the character and, as such, have accused the upcoming series of being “woke”.

Following his announcement, Essiedu signed an open letter condemning the recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling on biological sex, a result that Rowling celebrated on X (formerly Twitter), which came under fire from trans rights activists, including many celebrities.

I love it when a plan comes together.

When Rowling was later asked by fans whether Essiedu would be fired as a result of the signing, she took to X to clear the air, saying, “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”

Recently, actor Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the films, condemned the fans’ behavior toward Essiedu while praising the actor, saying, “Paapa Essiedu is one of the best actors I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve seen some people online who are being rude about him. What they’re being is racist.”

He added: “All the cast of the new Harry Potter TV series are amazing. They [the fans] will be swallowing their tongues, hopefully — you know, their digital tongues — when they see what [Paapa] does on screen.”

Lucius and Draco in 'Harry Potter'
Credit: Warner Bros.

Who Else Is in the New Series?

The Harry Potter TV series also stars Katherine Parkinson (Molly Weasley), Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy), Leo Early (Seamus Finnigan), Alessia Leoni (Parvati Patil), Sienna Moosah (Lavender Brown), Bel Powley (Petunia Dursley), Daniel Rigby (Vernon Dursley), and Bertie Carvel (Cornelius Fudge).

Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials) is writer/showrunner and an executive producer, Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive-produce and direct multiple episodes, and J.K. Rowling is also an executive producer, along with Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.

There’s no release date for the Harry Potter TV series.

What do you think of the Harry and Hagrid images? Let us know!

The post ‘Harry Potter’ Series: HBO Shares First Look at Actor in Costume Following Fan Backlash appeared first on Inside the Magic.

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