Accio child actors: HBO's Harry Potter TV series begins casting for next-gen wizarding trio

In exciting news for muggles that have long-dreamt of being told they're a wizard, HBO has officially launched an open casting call for its upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation.

To be considered for the roles of the main three characters - Harry, Ron or Hermione - children must be between the ages of nine and 11 in April 2025.

They must also be residents of the UK or Ireland, although the casting call states a commitment to "inclusive, diverse casting" that's open to any "ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by law unless otherwise specifically indicated."

Shared earlier this week, HBO has since confirmed the casting call's authenticity to Variety and the Guardian.

How do I apply?

If you meet the above criteria (sorry Millennials), the audition process requires two short self-tapes to be sent in. One of these is for sharing information about yourself - birth, height, location - the other must be "a short poem or story" that isn't Harry Potter related.

All children auditioning are asked to use their own accents, too.

24 years ago, casting was taking place for the movie adaptations, with rumours and controversy sparked at the time by the potential casting of an American lead, which Rowling insisted against.

Instead, a then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were chosen to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. Watson had to audition a total of eight times to land the part, while Grint reportedly nabbed an audition after submitting a video of himself rapping to casting agents.

"The most important part of it, for me, was chemistry. The three of them really needed to connect as friends." Chris Columbus, who directed the first two movies, said on the final casting decision.

Expelliarmus-ing J.K. Rowling?

J.K. Rowling has become a highly controversial figure in recent years, alienating and angering many fans through her contentious online comments regarding gender identity and trans rights, including the belief that trans women shouldn't be allowed into female-designated spaces.

More recently, she was named alongside tech troll Elon Musk in a criminal complaint filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.”

This has made new Harry Potter-related projects knotty to navigate and market for studios - a case in point being the release of last year's Hogwarts Legacy computer game, which led to heated debate amongst LGBTQ+ fans in particular over whether it's ok to support projects that put more money in Rowling's pockets.

Despite this, it was still the best-selling video game of 2023, proving there's more than enough appetite for, and profit to be made from, the huge Harry Potter franchise - which has generated more than $25 (€22.6) billion in revenue since 1997.

While Rowling has been confirmed to be serving as an executive producer on HBO's TV adaptation, the open casting call could be seen as a way to separate her from the creative processes of the show - while also broadening its talent reach, with more established actors potentially hesitant to get involved due to the negative connotations now associated with Rowling's name.

When is the Harry Potter TV series coming out?

Announced in April 2024, the 7-season TV adaptation will stream on Max (formerly HBO Max) and has yet to confirm a release date - although, according to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, they're aiming for 2026.

Promisingly, 'Succession' collaborators Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod have signed onto the project, the former as a writer, showrunner and producer, the latter as a director and producer.

The format is set to be one season per book, which would allow for a far more in-depth exploration of the fictional world and its characters.

“This new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years,” Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming, stated in a press release, while also reassuring fans that it will be “a faithful adaptation."

Still, it's been met with mixed reactions - especially from older Harry Potter fans that feel a strong attachment to the books and original movie adaptations. This has led some to speculate whether the original leading cast members will make an appearance in the new series to bridge the generational gap, something that Daniel Radcliffe has since shut down.

“My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” the 35-year-old actor told ComicBook.com.

He continued, "I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”