HBO's Harry Potter has cast a 19-year-old Emmy winner as Tom Riddle and recast Ginny before season one airs

HBO is still months away from launching its highly-anticipated Harry Potter series, but that hasn’t stopped them cracking on with plans for season two – and handing out key roles to a trio of new faces. If you care about sticking closer to the books (because let’s be honest, the films sometimes took a few wand-waving liberties), this one's shaping up to please the purists.

Season 1 arrives Christmas Day 2026 as an eight-part adaptation of Philosopher's Stone.

Major New Faces for Season 2

So, fresh out the casting cauldron: Billy Barratt has landed the part of Tom Riddle, that awkward yet sinister teenager whose eventual hobbies include snake-whispering and soul-splitting. If Barratt’s name rings a bell, that’s because he’s the youngest International Emmy winner on record. He’s 19, which honestly feels spot on, as Tom Riddle’s supposed to be 16 during the Chamber of Secrets era. Compare that with poor Christian Coulson, who was 23 and still trying to pass for a schoolboy in the 2002 film – this one should land quite a bit closer to the right vibe.

Next up, Lenny Rush (memorable from Am I Being Unreasonable?) takes over as Dobby the house-elf, a role previously voiced by Toby Jones via CGI. Rush is 17, which already lines up oddly well with Barratt, though this time, who knows if Dobby will be a bloke in prosthetics, done with motion capture, or just old-fashioned digital wizardry. HBO’s keeping quiet about the specifics for now.

And, bit of late-breaking drama in the Gryffindor common room: Bonnie Hill (from Girl Troop versus Aliens) has hopped on board as Ginny Weasley after Gracie Cochrane quietly stepped aside. Hill’s turn as Ginny is not a minor swap either – her character becomes pretty central in the second series, what with cursed diaries, mysterious boyfriends, and that budding Harry connection.

Changing of the Guard Behind the Scenes

There’s a shake-up happening off camera too. Jon Brown, already in the writers’ room, has been bumped up to co-showrunner alongside Francesca Gardiner. Not the sort of thing most fans bother to track, but when you’ve got a seven-year production and overlapping seasons, you probably want all the experienced hands you can get on deck. Think plate-spinning, but with a lot more robes and wigs involved.

Season 1 Cast: Who's Who at Hogwarts

• Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley
• Staff and mentors: John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), Luke Thallon (Quirrell), Paul Whitehouse (Filch), Warwick Davis (Flitwick)
• Students & Families: Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy), Bel Powley (Petunia Dursley), Daniel Rigby (Vernon Dursley), Katherine Parkinson (Molly Weasley), Bertie Carvel (Cornelius Fudge)

The adaptation kicks off with the eight-episode first season covering Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and lands on Christmas Day 2026 on both HBO and Max. They’re gunning for a seven-season run, so if this sort of meticulous casting is your jam, you’re about to be well fed.