HBO's highly anticipated Harry Potter series is slowly beginning to take shape. According to a report from Deadline, talks are currently underway with Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actress Janet McTeer to play the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall.

In addition, it appears that Paapa Essiedu will almost certainly play the role of Severus Sneep. Francesca Gardiner has been appointed as the series' writer and showrunner, while Mark Mylod will serve as director and executive producer. The series will remain largely faithful to the books, with the ages of the characters matching those in the original stories. According to the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, the series will explore the magical world of Harry Potter in a deeper and broader way than the films. Earlier, Warner Bros. announced that the series will consist of at least seven seasons, with each season following a book in the series.

McTeer, known for Ozark and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, would be a suitable choice for McGonagall. She is about the same age as Maggie Smith was at the time of her casting as head of Gryffindor. Paapa Essiedu and Janet McTeer join the cast, along with the previously cast John Lithgow, who will take on the role of Albus Dumbledore. Lithgow is known from the film Conclave and the miniseries Dexter: New Blood, among others.

Filming of the series will take place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the same location where the original films were shot. If all goes according to schedule, we can expect the first episodes in late 2026 or early 2027. The search for young actors for the roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron is still in full swing, with as many as 32,000 audition tapes submitted. Actor Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the films, has revealed that he would like to see Cillian Murphy, known from Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders as Thomas Shelby, as the new Voldemort.