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After the news that the long-awaited Harry Potter TV series is officially on the way with a brand new cast, many of us have been left wondering who could take on the iconic roles for a new generation.
The reboot was announced yesterday by HBO Max, and like the original film series, will be based on the books by J.K. Rowling, who serves as executive producer on the new show.
It is planned to last for almost a decade, with each season of the show based on each of the seven novels, meaning whoever’s brought in to make up the new cast will have to be in it for the long haul. Well, unless you’re Sirius Black, that is.
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Now that the franchise has become an international success, there’s no reason why we can’t look across the globe for inspiration, right?
Harry Potter
It's hard to think of young actors who could fit the bill for lead star Harry Potter, given just how synonymous Daniel Radcliffe’s face now is with the titular wizard, but JoJo Rabbit star Archie Yates would surely require no hard sell for studio execs. At 14, he’s a little older than Daniel Radcliffe was when he started the role, but as he’s already got the glasses, at least the props department will save a buck or two.
Ron Weasley
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It’d actually be pretty easy to team Yates with his former co-star Roman Griffin Davis for the part of Ron Weasley, but Matthew Illesley may work even better after his success in 2019’s Rocketman, playing a young Elton John.
Hermione Granger
Rising star Leah Jeffries already has some pretty huge film titles to her name, including Beast and Amazon Prime original Something at Tiffany’s. More importantly, though, she’s had some solid experience at the heart of another fantasy franchise with her turn as Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a TV series due for release next year that follows three young friends as they take on various mythical monsters... Sounds familiar, right?
Dumbledore
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All eyes will inevitably turn to Ian McKellen for this one, but Canadian veteran Donald Sutherland could be a firm favourite – not least because his softly spoken style would line him up perfectly for Hogwarts’ friendly, approachable patriarch. That said, it could also pose a great opportunity for career baddie Charles Dance to prove he doesn’t always have to play the villain – a frustration he’s previously spoken out about.
Professor Snape
Known for brooding quietly behind those famous black curtains, surely there can be no one for the role but John Wick star Keanu Reeves. He’s already got the quiet, misunderstood type nailed, so could no doubt waltz straight into the gig – and potentially even shoe-horn some elaborate martial arts stunt work into the mix – though if he’s busy, we reckon Adam Driver could be the next best thing.
Rubeus Hagrid
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The Hogwarts groundskeeper was originally played by Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who sadly passed away in October last year. After bringing the friendly giant to life perfectly, he’s left particularly big boots to fill, which means his successor will probably need a personality to match. We reckon Jack Black could fit the bill nicely, having already proven he can rock the shaggy-haired look. He may only be 5ft 6, but as Coltrane needed a little help from CGI to reach the required height, Black should be fine with the powers of modern technology – especially after his Gulliver’s Travels gig in 2010.
Sirius Black
As we all know, Sirius Black doesn’t make it to the end of the franchise before being killed off, so surely there’s no one more equipped for the role than – you've guessed it – Sean Bean. The Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings star is used to meeting his on-screen demise, meaning he’ll inevitably nail it when meeting his fate at the hands of Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange (Winona Ryder, perhaps?).
Voldemort
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After catching Nicolas Cage in action as Dracula in Renfield, it’s now hard not to see him as anything but perfect for Voldemort. His career has taken him in various directions over the years, meaning he's become a surprisingly versatile actor - as we learnt when he played several versions of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. He'd kill it.
Professor McGonagall
We're gonna go out on a limb here and go for... Jennifer Coolidge, just to mix things up. Think about it: she’s already given us a comedy English accent in an episode of Friends, so it’d make great TV to hear her take on the Scottish twang. Come on, just go with it.
The release date for the reboot is yet to be confirmed, but needless to say excitement is already mounting.
HBO Max, which will soon rebrand to just ‘Max’, will produce the series in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television.
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, said: “We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way.
“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”
Topics: Film and TV, Harry Potter