Scottish actor cast as Harry Potter in new HBO series
The actor cast to play Harry Potter in the new HBO television series has been confirmed as Scottish.
Dominic McLaughlin will play the protagonist Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will be Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley.
Each season of the show will be an faithful adaptation of the books from author and executive producer JK Rowling.
A casting call, announced in September, saw around 32,000 children audition for the lead roles, with the team reviewing up to 1,000 tapes per day, according to HBO.
Production company SC Films confirmed that Dominic recently filmed the Sky family comedy film Grow.
The Performance Academy Scotland confirmed McLaughlin spent a number of years with them.
On Facebook, they said: 'The news is out and this one is MAGICAL!!
'Our amazing young performer has been cast as Harry Potter in the new upcoming HBO TV series.
'We are not sure that this will ever feel real but we said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry and we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too.
'Dominic, we will forever be proud of you! We have had an incredible journey with you these last five years at TPA and can't wait for what's next on this journey!
'We are extremely proud to represent you and can't wait to go on this Wizarding journey together.
'A massive congratulations to Dominic…our Harry Potter.'
The three children are 'newcomers', according to HBO, while Arabella's agent says in her acting CV that she is based in London and has been in musical productions including Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express and the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda The Musical.
Alastair's agent has listed him as appearing in Albert Bartlett's Jersey Royal potato advertising campaign and having a 'northern' accent.
It was previously stipulated that the three young child actors must be residents of the UK or Ireland, and aged between nine and 11 on April 2025.
The Harry Potter novels had already been made into movies with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint playing the trio.
Executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said: 'After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.
'We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.'
Several other roles have already been cast for the upcoming show, including British actors Nick Frost and Paapa Essiedu and US star John Lithgow as the friendly groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, cruel Professor Severus Snape, and Hogwarts headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore, respectively.
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