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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
From a Jersey Royals ad to performing on the West End: How new Harry Potter stars got their big breaks
Twenty-five years ago three children filed into a room full of camera crews and sat at a table set up with microphones, glasses of water and bowls of sweets, to face the world's press. Mere muggles, they were about to be swept into a magical universe that would catapult them to global stardom and make them multi-millionaires. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – then aged 11 – would go on to bring the magic of Hogwarts to life as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the blockbuster film franchise of JK Rowling 's wizarding world. A lot has happened since that press conference in August 2000, when only four out of the seven Harry Potter books had been published. But it may be of particular interest to another trio of muggles, who are about to have their otherwise ordinary lives go up in smoke – as if by magic. This week Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout were unveiled as the children picked to play Harry, Hermione and Ron in the hotly anticipated TV adaptation of the series. Uncannily like their predecessors in both appearance (just look at that red hair) and, as the Mail has learned, experience and background, they were chosen from more than 32,000 children who sent in audition clips in the hope of landing roles in a series set to be every bit as popular – and lucrative – as the original. The rumour mill suggests the HBO show could cost a staggering £75million an episode to produce, although this week that was reported to be a slightly more modest £12million. But the investment is in line with expectations that it will bring in much, much more. No wonder then that there is speculation the three child actors could land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars, with estimates that they are being paid at least £1million per series to begin with, rising to £10million to £20million each by the end of the seventh season. For Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, their bank balances remain in astonishingly good shape, 14 years after they finished filming the last instalment. According to this year's Sunday Times Rich List, Radcliffe is estimated to be worth £100million, Watson more than £60million and Grint north of £40million. How far they have all come since that initial press conference. Back then, Watson was asked about how things might change. 'I don't want to change,' she declared, before confessing: 'So far it's sort of turned things upside down.' Given how superstardom took over their childhoods, that was an understatement. Our three new stars will doubtless have been cautioned about the exciting, but life-changing, whirlwind that lies ahead. HBO has certainly taken a different approach with announcing its cast, perhaps mindful that for the original three fame came with not only riches but pitfalls. Radcliffe, now 35, has been open about using alcohol as a coping mechanism in his teens. Watson, also 35, has spoken of going to therapy to help with the side-effects of fame. So, unlike their predecessors, McLaughlin, Stanton and Stout haven't yet been properly introduced to the public. Instead, the casting news was delivered in a brief press release and social media post from HBO, in which only their names were revealed. There was a single photo of the trio. No press conferences and no tricky questions. Yet while they might not have contended with such exposure before, these actors are already accustomed to success. Take Arabella Stanton, who recently turned 11 and is in the final year of primary school. She has already had a starring role as the eponymous schoolgirl lead in Matilda The Musical. Her West End debut was in September 2023, which she celebrated by standing next to a balloon creation bearing the words 'keep shining, you've got this'. Clearly cut out for stardom, one review of her performance gushed: 'I've seen many child actors in theatre, but Stanton is simply mesmerising... A star in the making, to say the least.' Arabella's parents Melanie and Dan are lawyers as, coincidentally, are the parents of Emma Watson. Her maternal grandfather is also a lawyer, while her paternal grandparents are both physiotherapists. The family live in a modern detached home near Woking in Surrey, and as well as performing, Arabella plays the clarinet, swims, plays hockey and enjoys skiing and horse-riding. There was a blanket no comment from organisations Arabella is involved with this week – she has one-on-one singing lessons, attends dance school and takes musical theatre classes at two institutions, as well as masterclasses with another company – indicating the HBO publicity machine is carefully managing the exposure of their new stars. Her father, meanwhile, very politely, declined to comment on his daughter's success. Playing Harry is Dominic McLaughlin, a Scottish schoolboy who has a similar stage school pedigree behind him. It's thought his parents are a lawyer and a doctor. Dominic's impressive CV includes an appearance opposite star Ralph Fiennes in Macbeth. He's also already chalked up his first movie role, in an upcoming Sky film titled Grow starring Alan Carr and Nick Frost. The Performance Academy Scotland, near Glasgow, where he trained for five years, shared the news of his success this week, writing: 'This one is MAGICAL! We said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry and we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too.' The least experienced of the trio is Alastair Stout, 11, whose most prominent role appears to have been in an advert for Albert Bartlett's Jersey Royal potatoes. He grew up in the Salford suburb of Worsley, where he is a long-standing student at the 3Two1 Theatre school.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
JK Rowling weighs in on Harry Potter casting news
Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout have been cast as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, in HBO 's upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation, set to debut in 2026. After auditioning 30,000 young actors, 11-year-old McLaughlin from Scotland will play Harry, 11-year-old Stanton will portray Hermione, and 12-year-old Stout from the north of England will play Ron. JK Rowling, who will serve as an executive producer on the series, expressed her satisfaction with the casting choices, stating, "All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier." Other cast members include Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. The series is expected to run for a decade, with each season adapting one of Rowling's seven books, aiming for a faithful adaptation, despite Rowling's controversial views on trans rights causing friction with some fans and the original film stars.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Watch HBO Harry Potter star Arabella Stanton's musical talent in resurfaced video
HBO 's Harry Potter series has announced its cast, featuring Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. The 11-year-old, alongside Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter) and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) were among 30,000 children to audition for the lead roles in the TV adaptation of JK Rowling 's wizarding school series. Arabella's formidable background includes her West End role in the hit musical Matilda, based on the Roald Dahl book. Resurfaced footage from the BBC's The One Show shows Arabella performing ' When I Grow Up.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
HBO's Harry Potter reboot cast: Everything you need to know
The Hogwarts Express is gaining steam. HBO's hotly-anticipated, 10-year TV adaptation of the Harry Potter novels goes into production in the coming months. Details are starting to be confirmed about who will take us back to Hogwarts, which allows Potter fans and media watchers alike to try and piece together what a return to JK Rowling's fantasy world will entail. It is as close to a guaranteed mega-hit as it is possible to have. Here is everything we know so far. Jump to section: Who's playing Harry, Ron and Hermione? Who's in the cast? Differences from the original films Is JK Rowling involved? The original cast Release date Who's playing Harry, Ron and Hermione? More than 32,000 children responded to a public casting call to play the world's three most famous young wizards last year in the hope of landing the role of a lifetime. Producers whittled down the audition tapes and then ran workshops and screen tests. The lucky trio have been confirmed as Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton playing Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. All are described as being screen newcomers, though McLaughlin is in Gifted, a yet-to-be-aired CBBC series based on Marilyn Kaye's children's novels about kids with superpowers. Stanton has previously appeared in the stage musicals Matilda and Starlight Express, while Stout's agent (which says he does a 'northern' accent) credits him with appearing in an Albert Bartlett potato advert. These are the most important casting decisions, as McLaughlin, Stanton and Stout will be expected to carry the show and deal with huge public scrutiny for years. Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, the Harry Potter show-runners, said of the trio: '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.' Who is in the cast? Like the films, the series is sure to be a Who's Who of A-list talent, with budgets that dwarf almost everything else on TV. The first performer to confirm their participation was the Conclave star John Lithgow, cast as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Lithgow, 79, said that he did not expect to be asked to follow in the footsteps of Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law (who all played Dumbledore in the Wizarding World films). 'Well, it came as a total surprise to me. I just got the phone call at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid,' he said in February. 'But I'm very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes.' HBO has officially revealed its first batch of stars to populate the new Hogwarts. I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu has been cast as potions master Severus Snape, while Ozark's Janet McTeer is to play deputy headmistress Minerva McGonagall, a role that was made famous by the late Dame Maggie Smith and previously linked with Sharon Horgan and Rachel Weisz. Other stars confirmed to have signed up are Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost succeeding Robbie Coltrane as gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, while the role of cantankerous caretaker Argus Filch is filled by comic performer Paul Whitehouse. We also have our first villain. Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone who is later revealed to be under the control of the evil Lord Voldemort, will be portrayed by Luke Thallon. The 29-year-old is best known as a stage actor. Who will play Voldemort himself in later series is being kept under wraps, but those said to be in the frame include Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. The confirmed Harry Potter cast so far: How will the series be different from the films? HBO boss Casey Bloys has said that the series will be a 'very, very specifically British 1990s production'. The series is being overseen by Gardiner and Mylod, Brits who are both alumni of HBO's Succession. One need only look at their track record to know that the series will not merely be a rehash of the films. Gardiner worked on the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials; while Mylod's hits include Game of Thrones and The Menu, a Ralph Fiennes horror satirising fine dining. It is expected that the series will be darker than the films, with HBO looking for a slightly older viewership than the pre-teens who were the primary target of the cinematic pictures. Friends of Gardiner – who wrote her master's thesis on the importance of darkness in kids' stories and has spoken of her dislike for patronising children – say that she wants to bring a grittier, 'Wednesday/Tim Burton vibe' to the series. Perhaps most notably, the characters will be the same age as they are in the books, with each series presumably following the school year. That means, for instance, that potions master Severus Snape (played by the inimitable Alan Rickman in the films) will be in his early thirties on the small screen. Essiedu is 34; Rickman, by contrast, was 55 when the first film was released. The exception is Dumbledore, who lived to the ripe old age of 115. Lithgow is unlikely to want to be working in his twelfth decade. Is JK Rowling involved? Despite selling more than 600 million Harry Potter books and amassing a fortune of almost £1 billion (according to the Sunday Times Rich List), Rowling has become a polarising character in recent years for her public contributions to the transgender debate. 'That's a very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated and not something we're going to get into,' Bloys said at an investor presentation in April 2023. 'Our priority is what's on the screen.' The 59-year-old author is key to the whole series: she serves as its executive producer and will have the final say on all the casting choices. Rowling praised HBO for 'preserving the integrity' of her books and said that the new adaptation will 'allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series'. Will the original stars return? Probably not. Many of the original cast members – including Radcliffe, Grint and Watson – have criticised Rowling's trans views, while others (including Gambon and Rickman) have died. Jason Isaacs, who played the villainous Lucius Malfoy in the films, was asked about whether he would mount a comeback to the Wizarding World at the premiere of The White Lotus in February. 'I'm hoping to come back as Hermione,' he said, not entirely seriously. 'I sent my audition tape in and I've yet to hear. But they have my number.' When will the series be broadcast? Filming at the Warner Bros studio in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, is not scheduled to start until the summer, so it is unlikely that it will hit our screens before 2027.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Children's and Education announce thrilling family drama Crookhaven
BBC Children's and Education has commissioned Crookhaven, an action-packed 8 x 45-minute TV adaptation of J.J. Arcanjo's hit book series, which has sold globally in 16 languages across the world, and has been created for television by Justin Young (Ripper Street, Death In Paradise, Sanditon). Produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions, Crookhaven shoots in Northern Ireland this summer and is set to premiere on BBC iPlayer in early 2026. The thrilling family adventure series is set at mysterious Crookhaven School where high achieving young crooks from across the world are secretly selected to hone their skills in disciplines such as Deception, Crimnastics, Forgery and Infiltration, learning how to use their skills for good and to do what is right in their own way. Centred around pickpocketing genius Gabriel and his archrival, headmaster's daughter Penelope, the series follows a group of eight very different, young international students as they compete for the coveted Crooked Cup. In a school where every teacher is a crook and traitors lurk around every corner, no-one is entirely who they seem to be as the gang uncover the dark secrets that link Penelope's missing mother with Gabriel's own mysterious past and confront a terrifying enemy - The Nameless. A coming-of-age drama full of exciting twists and turns, Crookhaven is about finding your place in the world, learning who you can trust and the very nature of right and wrong. Author J.J. Arcanjo, says: 'I have always aimed to excite and inspire the young readers who pick up my books, but also the parents and grandparents who journey with them to my worlds and the TV series aligns perfectly with that. Together with BBC Children's and Education we have created a fun family show filled with humour, heart and plenty of clever twists. I cannot wait for Gabriel Avery and his crew of kind-hearted crooks to be brought to life and introduced to TV audiences around the world.' Patricia Hidalgo, Director BBC Children's and Education says: 'Crookhaven is a thrilling mystery series which will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Whilst it's quintessentially British and targeting UK families, we know this homegrown drama is sure to be enjoyed by international audiences as we bring the best of UK creativity and BBC drama for children and families around the world' The series was commissioned by Sarah Muller, Senior Head of BBC Children's Commissioning 7+ and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Amy Buscombe. Crookhaven is made by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions and led by an award-winning team with Tali Walters as Creative Lead, Mark Freeland [Dodger, The Wrong Mans, The Thick of It, Miranda] and Justin Young as Executive Producers and Jon East [Killing Eve, Downton Abbey, Lost in Space, The Last Kingdom] as director and Leon McGeown-Fee [Dalgliesh, London Kills, Hope Street] as Producer. Crookhaven begins shooting in Northern Ireland from May with support from Northern Ireland Screen and international distribution is being handled by BBC Studios. HH
