The most disliked adoptive parents in young adult fiction have just been cast, as HBO’sHarry Potterreboot series has found its Dursleys. The cast list for the new reboot series is growing larger with each passing month. Fans already know who will play the core faculty at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and, most recently, the iconic trio, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, were also cast. Before Harry was enrolled at Hogwarts, he had to be rescued from his wicked relatives, and we finally know who will bring the despised Dursley family to life in the show.
Variety reports that HBO has cast Vernon and Petunia Dursley, the uncle and aunt of Harry Potter, who take him in after his parents are killed by Voldemort. Joining the already impressive cast of the show are Bel Powley as Petunia and Daniel Rigby as Vernon. Powley is best known for her roles inMary Shelley,White Boy Rick, andThe King of Staten Island, while Daniel Rigby has previously appeared in the British comediesFlowersandThe Witchfinder. Rigby has also worked with twoHarry Potteractors on the seriesSick Note, which starred former Ron Weasley, Rupert Grint, andfuture Hagrid, Nick Frost.The casting for their son (Harry’s cousin), Dudley Dursley, hasn’t been revealed yet.
‘Harry Potter’ Star Tom Felton Talks ‘Cursed Child’ Return Amid J.K. Rowling Controversy
“I’m not really that attuned to it.”
The Dursleys were some of the most memorable characters from the novels and Warner Bros.' original film series. In the movies, Vernon was portrayed by Richard Griffith, while Fiona Shaw played Petunia Dursley. The characters start, and mostly remain, as secondary antagonists to Harry, having begrudgingly taken him in after the death of Lilly and James Potter. But, over the course of the story, some small layers are peeled back, including Petunia’s own grief for her sister Lilly.
‘Harry Potter’s Cast Continues to Grow
Fans are counting down the months until theHarry Potterreboot series premieres on HBO and Max(which will then be titled HBO Max, again). The show hasn’t been given a definitive release date or window. However, HBO has teased that the series will premiere in late 2026 or early 2027. The latter is the more likely of the two predictions, due to the extensive post-production that the series will require, not to mention it hasn’t begun production yet.
The first batch of casting revealed who would be playing Hogwarts’ most distinguished educators.John Lithgow will bring Albus Dumbledoreto life in the series, Paapa Essiedu will play the complex and enchanting Severus Snape, Janet McTeer is Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost is the new Hagrid, and Paul Whitehouse will play Argus Filch. Luke Thallon has been cast as Quirinus Quirrell, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher fromHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in the series. Most recently, the show’s leading trio was revealed. Dominic McLaughlin is the new Harry Potter, Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger.
Source:Variety
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