Harry Potter Star Teases Major Season 2 Spotlight on HBO Max
HBO Max’s Harry Potter series is already leveling up for season 2, with Katherine Parkinson hinting that Mrs Weasley will step further into the spotlight as the Boy Who Lived saga expands.
With the Harry Potter TV reboot shuffling along in the background, we’re finally starting to get a bit more out of the cast than the usual tight-lipped silence. If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with the Weasley family this time round, Katherine Parkinson (yep, her from 'The IT Crowd' and endless Radio 4 comedies) has spilled a bit of the magic beans about her stint as Molly Weasley. There are a couple of nuggets here, some amusing, some just oddly specific. Let’s get into it.
Katherine Parkinson’s Not-So-Secret Secret
So, Parkinson’s officially got her ginger wig and her apron, but before you get too excited about loads of Weasley screentime in Series 1—temper those expectations. She told People (the magazine, not just randoms), 'I haven’t done much yet, I do a lot more on the second series.' In other words: don’t hold your breath for tons of Molly at the start. The big Weasley moments, it seems, are being saved for season two, after the show’s established itself and presumably worked out whether it can actually pull all this off.
That doesn’t mean she’s moping around between takes. Parkinson says, 'It’s a great set to be on, and I really like my wig and costume.' That’s one mystery solved: at least the costume department’s nailing it. For what it’s worth, she also said the child actors are 'completely enchanting', which is already an improvement on half the grim stories you hear about child casts on this sort of thing.
Who’s Who at Hogwarts This Time?
- Dominic McLaughlin - Harry Potter himself
- Alastair Stout - Ron Weasley
- Arabella Stanton - Hermione Granger
- Ruari Spooner, Tristan & Gabriel Harland (twins), Gracie Cochrane - The other Weasley siblings
- Katherine Parkinson - Molly Weasley (as above)
And if you needed reminding, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson basically made these characters iconic in the original films. Now it’s this lot’s turn.
Seven Seasons Planned, Loads of Familiar Names Behind the Scenes
Apparently, they’re planning to adapt each of Rowling’s seven books, with one series per book. That’s the official plan, anyway. Francesca Gardiner’s running things as showrunner. Mark Mylod’s listed as executive producer (if his name sounds familiar, he did loads of 'Succession'), and there’s a veritable Quidditch team of other execs: Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, David Heyman (he produced the original films), plus Rowling herself involved at the top table. Hans Zimmer, who doesn’t bother getting out of bed for anything less than an Oscar nomination, is handling the score.
Release Date and Other Bits
If you’re itching to binge this straight away, you’ll need a bit of patience. The new Harry Potter TV show isn’t expected to turn up on HBO Max until 2027. So, plenty of time to re-read the books, re-watch the films, or watch the increasingly awkward author interviews.