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Max announces some official cast for its 'Harry Potter' series

By InCinemas / 15 Apr 2025 (Tuesday)

Max has official announced some of its cast for the upcoming Harry Potter series!

The news confirms four series regulars and two recurring roles. Here's a breakdown of who has been cast:
John Lithgow as Professor Albus Dumbledore
Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall
Papa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape
Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid
Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrell
Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch

Lithgow is a six-time Emmy, two-time Tony Award and Olivier winner, and BAFTA and Oscar nominee best known for starring in films such as The World According to Garp (1982), Terms of Endearment (1983), Interstellar (2014), and Conclave (2024), as well as television series 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown. He will be the fourth actor to portray the Headmaster of Hogwarts on the big screen, following in the footsteps of Richard Harris and Michael Gambon (who both starred in the original films) and Jude Law who played a younger Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts film series.

McTeer who takes over the role of McGonagall–the transfiguration professor made famous by Maggie Smith and later Fiona Glascott in the Fantastic Beasts films–has made a splash on both big and small screens. Receiving Academy Award nominations for her work in Tumbleweeds (1999) and Albert Nobbs (2011) as well as an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Clementine Churchill in Into the Storm (2009).

Essiedu, set to portray Professor Snape (played in the films by Alan Rickman), began his career as part of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company before landing his breakout role in the BBC series I May Destroy You and later made his film debut in the mystery film Murder on the Orient Express (2017).

Frost has starred in many fan-favourite films and is best known for his collaborations with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. His credits include the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End), Attack the Block (2011), Fighting with My Family (2019) and more. Hagrid, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts, was previously played by the lateRobbie Coltrane.

Thallon, a newcomer on the scene, will take over the role of Professor Quirrell (previously played by Ian Hart in the films), while Whitehouse will recur as Hogwarts' caretaker Filch (originally played by David Bradley). The latter is the only actor cast to have appeared in the original films, playing Sir Cadogan in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both executive producers, shared their thoughts:

We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch. We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.

For those unfamiliar, the Harry Potter franchise follows the life of a young wizard–the titular Harry Potter–whose parents died under mysterious circumstances when he was a baby. Forced to live a life of misery with his aunt, uncle and cousin Dudley, he was eventually freed when Hagrid arrives on his 11th birthday to extended an invitation that changed his life forever. The adventure begins as Harry and his magical friends Ron and Hermoine become students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who come of age in a time of extreme turmoil where the threat of war looms close.

The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author J.K. Rowling and will feature an exciting and talented cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic details and beloved characters fans have adored for over two decades. Exploring every corner of the wizarding world, each season will bring Harry Potter and its incredible adventures to new and existing audiences and will stream exclusively on Max where it’s available globally.

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Max announces some official cast for its 'Harry Potter' series