Latest news with #HarryPotter
Mint
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
HBO unveils first look at Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter as filming begins in the UK
HBO has released the first official image from its much-anticipated television adaptation of Harry Potter, marking the beginning of production at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the United Kingdom. The image introduces Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, the 11-year-old actor stepping into the iconic role first made famous by Daniel Radcliffe. McLaughlin will be joined by Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, forming the new generation of Hogwarts' beloved trio. The young actors were selected following an extensive casting search of British children aged 9 to 11. 'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen,' said executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who introduced the trio in May. They also added, '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.' Additional cast announcements include Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Hooch, and Anton Lesser as wandmaker Garrick Ollivander. The series is described as a 'faithful adaptation' of J.K. Rowling's bestselling novels, with one season dedicated to each book. According to HBO, the show promises to be 'full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years.' The ensemble also features John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Other cast members include Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley. The series is being executive-produced by J.K. Rowling, with Francesca Gardiner also serving as writer. Mark Mylod, best known for his work on 'Succession', is among the directors attached to the project. HBO's Harry Potter is slated to premiere in 2027—exactly 30 years after the publication of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and 16 years after the release of the final instalment in the original film franchise.
Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Times
First glimpse of new Harry Potter, the next star of the small screen
Filming has started for the much-anticipated TV adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, with HBO sharing a first glimpse of the young wizard. Production began at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, near Watford, where the films were made between 2000 and 2011, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which was released in 2011. A picture of Dominic McLaughlin in Harry Potter's signature round glasses and school uniform has been released. McLaughlin is joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. They beat more than 30,000 actors to the roles in a casting call last year. • My advice to the new Harry Potter kids — by a Game of Thrones child star All seven books will be adapted and the series is reported to have a budget that is greater than House of the Dragon's $200 million per series. More than 600 million copies of Harry Potter sold worldwide. Its big screen adaptations were hugely successful, grossing almost $8 billion at the global box office. Other characters in the series have also been announced, including Rory Wilmot as the hapless Neville Longbottom and Amos Kitson as the spoilt Dudley Dursley. Nick Frost, who starred in Shaun of the Dead, will play the bearded giant Rubeus Hagrid, while John Lithgow, the Conclave and The Crown actor, will star as Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Janet McTeer, who featured in Tumbleweeds and The White Queen, will play Minerva McGonagall, while Paapa Essiedu, from I May Destroy You and Gangs of London, is Severus Snape. The series, debuting on HBO in 2027, will follow the young Potter as he discovers that he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was initially expected that each season would cover one of the seven Harry Potter books, but Casey Bloys, the head of HBO, said that the project could run for 'ten consecutive years'. The final novel, Deathly Hallows, was split into two parts for the film adaptation. Potter, Granger and Weasley's return will be available to stream on HBO Max, which is expected to launch in the UK in early 2026. Francesca Gardiner, the British television writer, is the showrunner, while Mark Mylod of Succession is in the director's seat.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boy George doesn't think queer identity politics have 'helped anyone': 'You're starting from the wrong perspective'
Boy George is opening up about his complicated feelings on queer activism. The Culture Club frontman, who is gay, has addressed why he doesn't support modern LGBTQ+ identity politics. "I don't think it's helped anyone," George told U.K. outlet The Times in a new interview, emphasizing that queer people aren't a monolith. "We're not a thing. It's like, 'This is what Black people are, this is what Jewish people are, this is what trans people are.' No!" He went on to defend his views on the matter. "Everybody is diverse because nobody is like anybody else, so you're starting from the wrong perspective," George said. "Nobody gets to choose what color eyes they have, how big their penis is, how fat their arse is." Earlier in the interview, the "Karma Chameleon" singer discussed online transphobia and how the digital world differs from reality. "Trans people are the new people to hate, but I always say: How many trans people have you met today?" George said. "There's the world on the internet, which is hideous and full of anger. Then there's the real world, which is entirely different, so in reality people have nothing to be nervous about." George faced accusations of transphobia in 2020 after tweeting, "Leave your pronouns at the door!" However, the musician has repeatedly defended the trans community in his social media feud with J.K. Rowling this year, calling the Harry Potter author "a rich, bored bully" for her transphobic views and saying she gets "fun from other people's pain." In his conversation with The Times, the musician said he believes his personal life is just a minuscule drop in the vast social-media bucket — and that sexual orientation shouldn't matter so much to people anyway. "If I'm really lucky my own sexuality takes up about three hours a month. We've all got cats to feed, families to visit, jobs to do," George said. "I said in an interview when I was 17, 'Being gay is like eating a bag of crisps. It's so not important.' I still think that now. What do you care about someone's sexuality unless you're going to have sex with them?" George also discussed how he channeled his views on queer identity into his 2002 musical, Taboo, which tells the story of his friend Leigh Bowery, legendary queer performance artist who founded London's Taboo club. "What I want to explore in the show is the odd relationship between Leigh and his wife, Nicola Bowery," the musician said of the play, for which he wrote the lyrics and played Leigh on stage. "Long before nonbinary, here's a gay guy who married a straight woman, and there was real tenderness and love between them. Yes, part of the reason he married Nicola was to piss everyone off, but I do think he really loved her."George, who is trying to revive Taboo, added that Bowery wouldn't want to box himself into pre-existing notions of queer identity or expression. "Someone said the other day, 'Leigh Bowery was the blueprint for gay identity,'" he recalled to The Times. "He would have hated that. Hated it!" Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Harry Potter' First Look: The New Boy Wizard Debuts as HBO Series Begins Filming, Sets 2027 Release Date
Hogwarts has reopened for a new term. HBO's 'Harry Potter' TV series — the long-awaited and much-hyped return to J.K. Rowling's wizarding world — has officially started production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K., almost 14 years to the day that 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' concluded Harry's journey on the big screen. More from Variety 'The Pitt': Tracy Ifeachor Not Returning as Heather Collins for Season 2 'Duster' Canceled After One Season at HBO Max 'Big Bang Theory' Spinoff 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' Ordered to Series at HBO Max The show has also revealed a first look at Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, smiling in costume with the character's signature round glasses and school uniform. McLaughlin is joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The young trio were selected from more than 30,000 actors who auditioned in a casting call last fall. New casting announced on Monday includes Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander. The series has also been confirmed to debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where available. Led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod of 'Succession,' HBO's new take on the beloved book-turned-movie-franchise will follow the young Potter as he discovers he's a wizard, leaves his muggle family behind and sets off to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along the way, he befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and battles Lord Voldemort. Elsewhere, John Lithgow ('Conclave,' 'The Crown') will play Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer ('Tumbleweeds,' 'The White Queen') is Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu ('I May Destroy You,' 'Gangs of London') is Severus Snape and Nick Frost ('Shaun of the Dead,' 'Hot Fuzz') is Rubeus Hagrid. Other names include Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. Variety exclusively reported that Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will play Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Each of the seven Harry Potter books will make up an entire season. Variety understands that shooting on Season 1 is expected to last until the spring of 2026, with Season 2 then going into production after a short break. Newly announced department heads joining costume designer Holly Waddington include Adriano Goldman (director of photography), Cate Hall (hair and makeup designer), Paul Herbert (stunt coordinator), Mark Holt (SFX supervisor), Mara LePere-Schloop (production designer), Naomi Moore (set decorator), John Nolan (creature effects design supervisor), Alexis Wajsbrot (VFX supervisor) and Dom Sidoli (VFX producer). The series is written and executive produced by Gardiner. Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes, which is being made by HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. Best of Variety Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Production starts on new Harry Potter TV series
Filming of the new HBO TV show version of the popular fantasy novel series is taking place at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Watford, Hertfordshire. HBO announced on Monday that further casting has also taken place, with young actor Rory Wilmot playing Harry's schoolfriend Neville Longbottom and Amos Kitson taking on the role of his cousin Dudley Dursley. Meanwhile, Sherlock actress Louise Brealey is to play Hogwarts Quidditch coach Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Game Of Thrones star Anton Lesser will be wandmaker Garrick Ollivander. Each season of the show will be a faithful adaptation of the Harry Potter books, from author and executive producer JK Rowling. It follows the popular film adaptations that starred Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as the protagonists. Other stars who have previously been announced include award-winning US actor John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore, Welsh comedian and actor Paul Whitehouse as Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, and Rivals actress Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley. The series is set to hit TV screens in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.
