Filming for a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s wildly successful book series, Harry Potter, began in July of this year. Rowling’s popular books had been made into eight movies between 2001-2011, with the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2, making over a billion dollars worldwide.

J.K. Rowling’s series is regarded as one of the most famous series of all time, it being the most popular young adult series, with over 600 million copies sold. HBO’s Harry Potter series was confirmed in 2023 but rumours of the adaptation began in 2021.

The show’s first season will air in early 2027. Filming for the first season of eight episodes is expected to continue until mid-2026, with production for the second season beginning soon after. Each season of the show will be based off of one book, season one being Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

HBO had over 30,000 actors audition to play the three children in the golden trio. The series features several young actors. Many are acting for their first time including Alastair Stout, who plays Ron Weasley, Harry’s best friend. Dominic McLaughlin will star as Harry Potter, and Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger. McLaughlin was previously in Grow, a movie from 2025. Stanton previously starred as Matilda in the West End production of Matilda the Musical.

The series will have several differences from the original movies. Many new actors will portray Rowling’s beloved characters while being age accurate to the books, unlike the movies. The fact that the series will be split into long episodes, rather than one long movie, will help the adaptation to be more book-accurate. The use of longer episodes will give more time to develop characters and storylines that were cut from the original movies, satisfying Harry Potter fans across the globe.

While the original battles and adventures concluded in 2011 with the last movie, the new series is expected to bring in a whole new generation of fans to the wizarding world, while still exciting the original fans. The enduring magic of the Harry Potter universe, now etched into the television landscape by HBO, will undoubtedly resonate with audiences for years to come, solidifying its place in popular culture.