Harry Potter television series will start filming in summer 2025

HBO's Harry Potter television series is inching closer to a cast just in time for filming to begin next summer. Director and executive producer Mark Mylod provides an update on the casting: "We haven't made any final choices yet, but we will start working on a shortlist in January."

During a presentation of the slate of titles for HBO Max in 2025 with Casey Bloys last week, several members of the series' creative team shared an update on the series' development, noting that they plan to launch in mid-summer to start filming in 2025.



Director and executive producer Mark Mylod (pictured) indicated during the casting update that 32,000 children have auditioned for all young roles, including the main character Harry Potter. The producers plan to watch every audition, with a team watching between 500 and 1,000 auditions per day.

“We haven’t made any final choices, but we’re workshopping with a shortlist in January. And there are some crackers,” Mylod says, adding that they want to focus on “the cream of British acting talent, this incredible tradition of brilliant theater actors and, of course, we’re following the books with the canonical casting.”

Writer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner said they plan to stick to the correct ages, including Professor Severus Snape, 31, and Lily and James Potter, both 21.

For the character of Snape, Mylod noted that “nobody can replace Alan Rickman, but we can find the next Alan Rickman.” The actor died in 2016 at age 69. The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported on Wednesday that Paapa Essiedu was being eyed to play the potions master in the series.



The series is scheduled to debut on HBO Max in 2026 and Gardiner said fans can expect to see parts of Hogwarts that have yet to be explored, while Mylod added that the series will focus on naturalism as opposed to the stylized look of the movies.

It was previously said that the Harry Potter series would be a "faithful adaptation" from author J.K. Rowling's mega-successful fantasy series about the young British wizard. While Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint led the hit film franchise, "the series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fans, packed with the fantastic details and beloved characters that Harry Potter fans have loved for more than 25 years, HBO said.