Janet McTeer in talks for Harry Potter series role; Paapa Essiedu close to deal

HBO is close to casting two new leads for the high-profile series adaptation of the popular Harry Potter fantasy books. Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actress Janet McTeer (pictured below) is in talks to play Professor Minerva McGonagall, sources say. There’s also word that Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu, one of the series’ original cast members, is finalizing his deal to play Professor Severus Snape. They’re set to join John Lithgow, who will play Professor Albus Dumbledore.



HBO declined comment. “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation,” the network said in a statement. “As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”

The Harry Potter series, which is set to span more than a decade, comes from writer-showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod. HBO and Max Content Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys called the series a "faithful adaptation" of J. K. Rowling's novels that will "delve deeply into each of the iconic books" at the time of the original announcement.

At a Max event in London last December, Gardiner revealed that the series will stick to the "canonical" ages of Snape, who will only be 31, and also the Dursleys, who will be much younger than they were in the films.

That explains the choice of thirty-something Essiedu for the role of Snape, the antagonist-turned-hero played in the Harry Potter films by the late Alan Rickman. Severus Snape is a potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who eventually becomes headmaster.

Meanwhile, McTeer is only a few years younger than the late Maggie Smith was when she was cast as Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall in the film franchise two and a half decades ago. McGonagall is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, as well as the caring headmaster of Gryffindor and the deputy headmistress under Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Lithgow). In the Fantastic Beasts prequel films, the role was played by Fiona Glascott.

With the HBO series, the Harry Potter franchise continues to build a more inclusive and racially diverse universe, an effort that began with the casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione in the long-running play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It’s something that another popular fantasy franchise, The Lord of the Rings, also began when the Amazon series transitioned to the small screen.

The Harry Potter television series, which is being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, where the films were shot, is expected to debut on HBO in late 2026 or early 2027. Some 32,000 children sent in audition tapes for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron, with final casting choices yet to be announced.



This would mark the return of British actors McTeer and Essiedu (pictured) to HBO. McTeer played Winston Churchill’s wife Clementine in the HBO film Into the Storm, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Essiedu played Kwame opposite Michaela Coel in her BBC/HBO miniseries I May Destroy You, for which he received Emmy and BAFTA nominations.

On television, McTeer recently starred in the Netflix series Kaos and had a recurring role on FX’s The Old Man. In feature films, she received Oscar nominations for her roles in Tumbleweeds, for which she also won a Golden Globe, and Albert Nobbs. McTeer will soon be seen in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Essiedu, also nominated for a BAFTA TV for The Lazarus Project, recently starred in the hit Netflix spy drama Black Doves and starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in the film The Outrun, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. He will soon be seen in the British comedy horror film The Scurry.