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Timeline
The history of HBO’s Harry Potter series, from the announcement in April 2023 to the premiere of the first season on 25 December 2026. Every date comes from an official announcement; when only the month is certain, only the month is given.
2023
| 12 April 2023 | Warner Bros. Discovery announces a Harry Potter television series for Max, promising to be “authentic to the original books”, with J.K. Rowling as an executive producer. More » [source] |
2024
| 25 June 2024 | Francesca Gardiner is named showrunner and writer, and Mark Mylod will direct several episodes. Both are executive producers with J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts and David Heyman. More » [source] |
| 8 September 2024 | Open casting call for Harry, Ron and Hermione, for children in the UK and Ireland who would be 9 to 11 years old in April 2025. [source] |
| 5 December 2024 | HBO confirms that filming will start in summer 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, where the films were made. [source] |
2025
| 14 April 2025 | The first cast is announced: John Lithgow (Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (Snape), Nick Frost (Hagrid), Luke Thallon (Quirrell) and Paul Whitehouse (Filch). More » [source] |
| 27 May 2025 | Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout are cast as Harry, Hermione and Ron, chosen from more than 30,000 children who auditioned. More » [source] |
| 9 June 2025 | More casting: Katherine Parkinson (Molly Weasley), Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy), Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby (Petunia and Vernon Dursley), Bertie Carvel (Cornelius Fudge) and three Gryffindor students. More » [source] |
| 14 July 2025 | Filming begins at Leavesden, with the first image of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry. Also cast: Rory Wilmot (Neville), Amos Kitson (Dudley), Louise Brealey (Madam Hooch) and Anton Lesser (Ollivander). HBO says the series will premiere in 2027. More » [source] |
| 19 August 2025 | The Weasley children are cast: Tristan and Gabriel Harland (Fred and George), Ruari Spooner (Percy) and Gracie Cochrane (Ginny). More » [source] |
| 1 September 2025 | On the day the Hogwarts Express leaves in the books, Warwick Davis is confirmed as Professor Flitwick, with Sirine Saba (Sprout), Richard Durden (Binns), Bríd Brennan (Pomfrey) and Leigh Gill (Griphook). More » [source] |
2026
| 5 March 2026 | 21 more Hogwarts students are cast, among them Orson Matthews as Oliver Wood. More » [source] |
| 25 March 2026 | First official teaser. The first season is titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and the premiere moves forward from 2027 to 25 December 2026. More » [source] |
| 5 April 2026 | Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic, a behind-the-scenes special, is released on HBO Max. More » |
| 6 May 2026 | HBO renews the series for a second season, based on Chamber of Secrets, before the first has aired. Jon Brown joins Francesca Gardiner as co-showrunner, and filming is planned for the autumn. More » [source] |
| 15 June 2026 | Peter Serafinowicz is cast as Peeves the Poltergeist, a character left out of the films. More » [source] |
| 24 August 2026 | Nicholas Hoult leaves the role of Gilderoy Lockhart because of scheduling conflicts, two weeks after his casting was announced. Kit Harington will play Lockhart in season 2. More » [source] |
| 2 September 2026 | Second official teaser, set at Hogwarts. More » [source] |
| September 2026 | Season 2 casting, including Bonnie Hill as Ginny Weasley, Lenny Rush as Dobby, Billy Barratt as Tom Riddle and Rafe Spall as Arthur Weasley. More » [source] |
| 24 September 2026 | HarryPotter.com publishes the official list of every actor confirmed for the series. More » [source] |
| October 2026 | Last season 1 casting: Harry Gilby (Charlie Weasley), Jasper Talbot and Hannah Chinn (James and Lily Potter), David Threlfall (the voice of the Sorting Hat) and the Hogwarts ghosts. More » [source] |
| 29 October 2026 | HBO reveals the first official poster. More » |
| 9 November 2026 | Character posters of Harry, Hermione and Ron. More » |
| 25 December 2026 | Premiere of season 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, on HBO and HBO Max. More » |
Smaller updates are on the news page.
