HBO’s New Harry Potter Series Adds Dudley and Neville to Its Cast

The new Harry Potter series from HBO is moving forward, and more of the cast has just been announced. This time, fans found out who will play two familiar faces from the books and movies, Neville Longbottom and Dudley Dursley. According to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Rory Wilmot has been picked to play Neville, while Amos Kitson will take on the role of Dudley.

Both of these young actors are pretty new to the acting world, so audiences might not know them yet. But they’ll soon step into the shoes of two of the most well-known characters from the Harry Potter story.

WBD also shared a few other casting updates. Louise Brealey will play Madam Hooch, the strict flying teacher, and Anton Lesser will play Ollivander, the famous wand maker. Lesser is a veteran actor that people might recognize from shows like Game of Thrones and Andor.

The show itself is planned as a full reboot of the Harry Potter story, turning J.K. Rowling’s seven books into a long-form TV series. HBO wants to dedicate one season to each book, giving fans a lot more time to explore the story compared to the original films. Filming has already started, and the show is expected to arrive in 2027.

The idea of a Harry Potter TV series has been around for a while. Back in January 2021, Warner Bros. was already looking at ideas for a wizarding world show, according to reports. In May 2022, there was news about Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav meeting with J.K. Rowling to discuss future projects set in the magical world.

Then, in April 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced that a new Harry Potter live-action series was happening. At that time, it was said the show would be made for Max, the rebranded version of HBO Max.

Rowling will be involved as an executive producer. She said in a statement that she is “looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.”

Originally, the show was set for release in 2026. But in June 2024, the studio decided to move the project from Max back to HBO. Around the same time, Francesca Gardiner was revealed as the showrunner. Mark Mylod, known for his work on Succession, will direct and produce some episodes. David Heyman, who worked on the original Harry Potter films, is also part of the production team.

Earlier this year, HBO announced who will play the main trio of characters. Dominic McLaughlin will star as Harry Potter. Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger. And Alastair Stout has been chosen to play Ron Weasley.

With the new casting of Dudley and Neville, fans can see that the world of the new Harry Potter series is starting to come together.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!