HBO’s Hogwarts is still taking shape with three new actors announced this week.
The new Harry Potter series will begin with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in December, launching what HBO intends to be a seven-season retelling of J.K. Rowling’s books, more than a decade after the original film franchise came to an end.
Dominic McLaughlin leads the reboot as Harry Potter, alongside Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, with Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Production is already looking beyond the first book. Work has begun on Season 2, based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, meaning HBO is gradually assembling the characters who become crucial as Harry’s second year at Hogwarts takes a considerably darker turn.
The project has faced scrutiny since it was announced. Rowling remains an executive producer, prompting criticism over her views on transgender issues, while original Harry Potter director Chris Columbus is among those to have questioned whether the books needed another screen adaptation so soon.
There has also already been movement within the reboot’s cast. Gracie Cochrane, who portrays Ginny Weasley in Season 1, stepped away from the role due to “unforeseen circumstances,” forcing HBO to find a replacement before the character’s much larger Chamber of Secrets storyline.
Now, that replacement has been confirmed — alongside the actors taking on two other major roles with deep ties to Harry Potter’s second adventure.
Three Major ‘Chamber of Secrets' Roles Are Now Filled
HBO has cast Lenny Rush as Dobby, Bonnie Hill as Ginny Weasley, and Billy Barratt as teenage Tom Riddle, giving the reboot its first on-screen incarnation of the character who will ultimately become Lord Voldemort.
All three roles were previously familiar to audiences through Warner Bros.’ film series. Toby Jones voiced Dobby, Bonnie Wright played Ginny across all eight movies, and Christian Coulson portrayed the teenage Riddle in 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Bonnie Hill has been cast as Ginny Weasley in HBO’s HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets pic.twitter.com/BzdwkLm9LV
— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) September 4, 2026
For Hill, however, the change is more immediate. She will take over Ginny from Cochrane beginning with Season 2, marking one of the reboot’s first significant recastings after production on the HBO series had already started.
Each character is essential to the second book. Dobby repeatedly tries to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts, while Ginny becomes increasingly entangled in the attacks occurring throughout the castle.
Riddle, meanwhile, sits at the center of the mystery. His enchanted diary gradually exposes his connection to the Chamber of Secrets and reveals that Tom Marvolo Riddle is the younger identity of the wizard who will eventually become Voldemort.
Rush already has credits including Doctor Who, Enola Holmes 2, and Am I Being Unreasonable? His performance in the latter earned him a BAFTA in 2023.
Billy Barratt has been cast as young Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle, in Season 2 of the ‘HARRY POTTER’ series. pic.twitter.com/DUarcrBlHt
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 4, 2026
Hill has appeared in projects including Film Club, The Six Triple Eight, and the children’s series Girl Troop versus Aliens. Her casting also gives HBO a new Ginny before the character’s significantly expanded role in Season 2.
Barratt won an International Emmy for Responsible Child and has since appeared in Invasion, Kraven the Hunter, Crater, and Bring Her Back.
His casting also closes the door on one persistent rumor surrounding teenage Voldemort. Adolescence star Owen Cooper had previously been linked to Tom Riddle, although HBO never substantiated reports that he was being considered for the part.
HBO Still Has Another Voldemort to Reveal
Barratt may now be the reboot’s teenage Voldemort, but the identity of the actor who will eventually play the fully transformed Dark Lord remains one of HBO’s biggest unanswered casting questions.
Ralph Fiennes played Voldemort throughout the original Warner Bros. movies, beginning with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), after the character appeared in younger or less conventional forms during earlier installments.
HBO has not announced who will succeed him once Voldemort becomes a more prominent presence in the reboot.
Several recognizable names have circulated around the role, including Paul Bettany and Tom Hiddleston. Fiennes himself has also been mentioned by fans, although the actor revealed that he turned down the opportunity to return to the franchise as He Who Must Not Be Named.
That leaves Barratt as the first confirmed actor playing the character’s human identity in HBO’s adaptation, while the eventual face of adult Voldemort remains under wraps.
The latest casting announcement also demonstrates how quickly HBO is building out its second season before audiences have even seen its first. Chamber of Secrets introduces several characters who shape the wider Harry Potter story, making Dobby, Ginny, and Riddle particularly important additions.
What do you think of the new Harry Potter casting news?
