Latest news with #PerformanceAcademyScotland
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Meet the actors who will play Harry, Hermione and Ron in HBO's ‘Harry Potter' series
After an extensive search, HBO has officially found young wizards Harry, Ron and Hermione for its upcoming 'Harry Potter' series. Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton are the chosen ones to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively, of the more than 30,000 children who auditioned during the open casting call. Filming begins this summer and the show premieres next year. 'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen,' executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said in a statement. '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.' Gardiner will serve as showrunner and Mylod will direct multiple episodes of the series. Author J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film & TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films will also executive produce. Here's everything we know about the reimagining of the classic franchise. Prior to nabbing the titular role in 'Harry Potter,' McLaughlin studied at the Performance Academy Scotland for five years. He is set to appear in BBC's upcoming series 'Gifted,' about Scottish teens who discover they have superpowers, and the Sky film 'Grow,' about a grumpy pumpkin farmer and her orphaned niece. 'The news is out and this one is MAGICAL!!' wrote the Performance Academy Scotland on Instagram. 'We are not sure that this will ever feel real but we said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry & we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too.' 'Harry Potter' is Stout's first major role. His only other credited appearance is a commercial for Albert Bartlett potatoes. Stanton starred as Matilda Wormwood in 'Matilda the Musical' in London's West End from 2023 to 2024. The English actress also played the narrator Control in Andrew Lloyd Webber's play 'Starlight Express' in 2024. Previously announced cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. HBO has said the show will span a decade and remain faithful to Rowling's books. The original films starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. In addition to the seven bestsellers and eight hit films, the franchise also spawned the 'Fantastic Beasts' movie prequels, starring Eddie Redmayne, the play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' and themed areas at Universal parks.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
JK Rowling says she ‘couldn't be happier' about Harry Potter casting announcement
JK Rowling has said she 'couldn't be happier' about the casting of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the HBO adaptation of her beloved book series. It was announced on Tuesday (27 May) that after auditioning 30,000 young actors, Dominic McLaughlin, 11, will play Harry, Arabella Stanton, 11, will portray Hermione, and Alastair Stout, 12, has been cast as Ron. The three newcomers will step into the roles made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who played the lead characters in eight blockbuster films. Rowling, 59, who will serve as an executive producer on the series, said on X/Twitter on Tuesday: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.' McLaughlin, from Scotland, has received training at Performance Academy Scotland and has experience acting in William Shakespeare's Macbeth opposite Luther actor Indira Varma and Ralph Fiennes. On screen, he appears in Sky's forthcoming comedy film Grow, and the BBC adaptation of Marilyn Kaye novel Gifted. Stanton, who will play Granger, has performed in the West End musical Matilda, as well as playing Control in the 2024 revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express. Meanwhile, Stout, from the north of England, has received attention for his uncanny likeness to Grint. He previously starred in an advert for Albert Bartlett's Jersey Royal potatoes. The announcement follows months of sporadic casting announcements for the show's supporting characters, including Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, a part played by Alan Rickman in the films. John Lithgow will star in the series as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall. Additionally, Luke Thallon will play Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse will take on the role of caretaker Argus Filch. Rowling's involvement in the series has drawn controversy from some fans of the franchise for her outspoken and repeated criticisms of trans rights, which led to a rift with the films' three original stars, who have distanced themselves from Rowling in recent years. Rowling has denied being transphobic, but has previously stated that she would 'happily' go to prison for misgendering a trans person rather than refer to them by their preferred pronouns. The author's expansive Harry Potter world – including the books, films, video games and theatre shows – is worth an estimated £20bn ($25bn). The HBO series is expected to debut in 2026, almost 30 years after the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), which was published in 1997. The series is expected to run for a decade, with each season based on one of the seven Rowling books, and is expected to be a 'faithful' adaptation of the bestselling books. In a statement unveiling the new cast members, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director 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.'
