As noted by Deadline, the Harry Potter series’ creative team stated that filming will start in mid-summer of 2025. This information was revealed during Thursday’s 2025 Max slate presentation with Casey Bloys (Less Than Perfect). An estimated number of 32,000 children auditioning for younger roles was also announced by Mark Mylod (The Menu, What’s Your Number?), executive producer and executive producer for the series. A plan has been scheduled so that the producers can watch the auditions as they will be watching 500 to 1,000 per day.
Mylod mentions in the presentation that although no final decisions have been made, the team will finalize a list by January. The producers’ intention is to stick to the JK Rowling (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) book as much as they can. Showrunner and writer Francesca Gardiner (Killing Eve, His Dark Materials) also stated that the television show will stick to the correct ages of the characters. This includes, but is not limited to, Lily and James Potter, 21, and Professor Snape, 31.
Mxdwn has previously stated that Paapa Essiedu (Gangs of London, I May Destroy You) has been eyed to play Severus Snape in the fantasy show. Mylod added that, regarding the role, “Nobody can replace Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Love Actually), but we can find the next Alan Rickman.” Rickman played Snape in the eight Harry Potter movies and died at 69 in 2016.
There’s no doubt the impact of Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings, Trainwreck), Rupert Grint (Wild Target, Cherrybomb) and Emma Watson (Little Woman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) on the Harry Potter films per Deadline. However, HBO stated, “the series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years.”
During the presentation, Bloys spoke on Rowling’s anti-transgender controversy. As she remains an executive producer on the show, he said, “I’m totally comfortable with it, and I’m not worried about it. Look at the huge success of the Hogwarts video game last year. I’m not concerned about consumer response.”