The Sorting Hat and the ghosts of Hogwarts have their performers in the Harry Potter series. HBO announced on October 30, 2026, that David Threlfall will voice the Sorting Hat, while Leo Bill will play Nearly Headless Nick. These characters will accompany Harry as he takes his first steps at the school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Andrew Brooke will play the Bloody Baron, Slytherin’s ghost, and Daniel Fearn will play the Fat Friar, Hufflepuff’s ghost. Laura Smyth will portray the Fat Lady, whose portrait guards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The announcement thus covers several Hogwarts residents who are part of the students’ everyday lives, beyond the teachers and the central trio.
This first season of eight episodes adapts J.K. Rowling’s first novel. This new version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone follows Harry from his childhood with the Dursleys to his discovery of the magical world. Invited to attend Hogwarts, he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger before facing the secrets surrounding the Philosopher’s Stone.
The main trio is played by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. Around them, John Lithgow plays Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer takes on the role of Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu portrays Severus Snape and Nick Frost plays Rubeus Hagrid. The cast also includes Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
The cast includes Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Tristan and Gabriel Harland as Fred and George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, and Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley.
The series is written and produced by Francesca Gardiner, while Mark Mylod directs several episodes and also serves as an executive producer. J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts and David Heyman are also among the executive producers. The music is by Hans Zimmer and the collective Bleeding Fingers Music. HBO plans to devote each season to one of the books in the series, allowing it to develop the characters and subplots more fully and include some elements absent from the film adaptations.
Even before this first season airs, HBO is already working on a follow-up adapted from The Chamber of Secrets. The cast and information known about season 2 of the Harry Potter series are gathered in a separate article.
To find out more, also check out our selection of new releases on HBO Max this December, our guide to streaming releases across all platforms, and today’s picks in What to watch streaming today.
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Dates and Opening Time
Starts December 25, 2026
Official website
www.hbomax.com
