Latest news with #Leavesden
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Three unknown British children taking over lead Harry Potter roles in TV reboot set to become overnight multi-millionaires
Three currently unknown British children are set to become overnight multi-millionaires when they are announced as the new stars of the Harry Potter TV series. The new child stars, who will be 11-years-old and have been picked from more than 32,000 audition tapes from across the UK and Ireland, will take on the lead characters Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the TV reboot. The lucky three children, who Warner Bros have teased will be announced any day now, are set to start filming this summer. The trio will join A-listers John Lithgow, 79, as Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse, 67, as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, 53, as Rubeus Hagrid as they film at Warner Bros's 200-acre studio in Leavesden Herts. JK Rowling 's seven hit books which were originally made into films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will now be made into seven seasons. The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million an episode and the three child actors could land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars. Entertainment writer James Hibberd told The Sun: 'While the confirmed adult actors are pros, casting kids is always a gamble and their chemistry is key to the story's charm.' Hollywood finance expert Martin Cobb added: 'There's absolutely no reason to suppose they won't easily exceed the incomes of the three original stars.' The original three stars, who were just 11-years-old when they found fame, are now worth a staggering amount. Danial, now 35, has an estimated net worth of £82.5million, while Emma, 35, bagged £64million and Rupert, 36, earned £37.5million. A senior production source told the publication: 'The hope is that this becomes the most lucrative TV series of all time. But that hinges on how two young boys and a girl manage to bond — as well as coping with instant fame.' The new series aims to 'lead a new generation of fandom' and hopes to recapture the beloved details Harry Potter fans have enjoyed for 25 years. It could have been a touching full circle moment that would have seen Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reunite as part of the franchise for the first time since the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011. The reason many of the roles have been re-cast is because the original stars such as Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Dame Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman have passed away. There is nothing to say that the reboot needs to have an entirely new set of actors. But it has become increasingly apparent that the chance of a reunion or any sort of cameo seems less than likely, given their very public feud with JK Rowling who is executive producer on the HBO series. Only last month, she appeared to take aim at the three stars who owe her their careers when she replied to a tweet asking: 'What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?' Without missing a beat, Rowling cryptically wrote: 'Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.' The author's relationship has deteriorated with the original cast following her remarks about the trans community in 2020, in which she said she believed women were defined by their biological sex and not their gender identity. She strongly denies that she is transphobic. Daniel confirmed he and Rowling no longer speak after the writer insisted she would never forgive the younger stars of the film franchise for speaking out against her views on trans rights. Meanwhile Emma and Rupert have also taken a strong stance against her. Daniel's career has appeared to slow down in the last few years. After his famous breakout role, Daniel went on to star in films like The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, Victor Frankenstein and The Lost City alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. He also received greater critical acclaim, bagging his first Emmy nomination for playing the titular role in 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and winning a Tony Award for his performance as Charley Kringas in 1981 Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along. However instead of acting, Daniel appears to just be working on voiceovers, as his most recent work sees him voice King Jeremy in cartoon series Mulligan. After main roles starring in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the live action version of Beauty And The Beast and Little Women, Emma took a step back from acting. The star left the limelight to embark on a Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University. Meanwhile Rupert has even admitted he was close to leaving acting all together after the birth of his daughter in 2021. He confessed he had never felt 'comfortable' with being famous and considered turning his hand to another trade.
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
HBO's new Harry Potter series to be one of the most expensive shows ever made
The new Harry Potter series is on track to become the expensive TV show ever made. The rebooted HBO show based off J.K Rowling's beloved books is slated to cost a staggering $AU155 million per episode, according to The Sun. Currently, the costliest show in history is Amazon Prime Video's Lord of the Rings spin-off, The Rings of Power, which had a $US60 million ($AU93 million) per episode budget when the first season was made in 2020. Rings of Power 's first season had eight episodes, while the debut Harry Potter series will reportedly have six. It's set to begin filming at the company's 200-acre studio in Leavesden, Herts in the coming months. HBO's upcoming TV adaptation comes 14 years after the eighth and final Warner Bros. film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released in cinemas, bringing to an end a frenzied decade-long box office run. Made on a budget of $US250 million, which was a shared cost with its predecessor film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, it enjoyed a hefty global box office gross of $US1.342 billion. The magical stories jumped off the page and have become an everlasting cultural phenomenon, spawning theme parks, merchandise and video games, with the Harry Potter brand said to be worth more than $US25 billion. Meanwhile, an announcement about the three unknown actors set to portray Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley is imminent, per The Sun. Warner Bros. has picked its leading trio from more than 32,000 actors who sent in audition tapes across the UK. Established actors have already joined the cast, with John Lithgow set to play Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Elsewhere in the cast, Janet McTeer will portray Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape and Luke Thallon will fill the shoes of Professor Quirinus Quirrell. Despite Rowling's controversial reputation in recent years due to her outspoken views about the transgender community, the billionaire author is an executive producer on the show. HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed in November Rowling had 'been fairly involved' in the making of the show, which is expected to debut in 2026. 'She was very involved in the process of selecting the writer and the director,' Bloys told reporters at a press event. 'I imagine she'll have opinions on casting. It hasn't affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff or anything, so we haven't felt any impact from that.' It's been reported the show will run for a whopping seven seasons, with each season focused on one of Rowling's books. Warner Bros. has also stated it would be a 'decade-long series', which Lithgow confirmed in a recent interview. 'Of course, it was a big decision because it's probably the last major role I'll play,' Lithgow said in April. 'It's an eight-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.'
The Sun
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Three unknown Brit actors taking over lead Harry Potter characters in TV reboot set to become overnight multi-millionaires
THREE unknown British child actors are poised to become overnight multi-millionaires when they are named the stars of the Harry Potter series. They will become 11-year-old lead characters Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the TV reboot. Warner Bros said the names of the three lucky children, picked from more than 32,000 wannabes who sent in audition tapes from across the UK and Ireland, would be announced imminently. The trio will start filming in summer at the company's 200-acre studio in Leavesden, Herts, alongside A-listers John Lithgow, 79, as Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse, 67, as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, 53, as Rubeus Hagrid. Each of JK Rowling 's seven books will be made into a series of six episodes. It is said to costing £75million an episode. The three child actors could land themselves even bigger fortunes than Potter movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Entertainment writer James Hibberd told The Sun: 'While the confirmed adult actors are pros, casting kids is always a gamble and their chemistry is key to the story's charm.' Hollywood finance expert Martin Cobb added: 'There's absolutely no reason to suppose they won't easily exceed the incomes of the three original stars.' Original Harry actor Daniel, 35, has an estimated net worth of £82.5million, while Emma, 35, bagged £64million and Rupert, 36, earned £37.5million. A senior production source said: 'The hope is that this becomes the most lucrative TV series of all time. 'But that hinges on how two young boys and a girl manage to bond — as well as coping with instant fame.' The first series is expected to be shown next year on HBO. 1
