A couple of weeks ago John Lithgow was set as Professor Albus Dumbledore for HBO’s Harry Potter TV series adaption. Now the rest of the cast is starting to take shape.
According to a report in Deadline, Janet McTeer (The Old Man, The Menu) is in negotiations to play Professor Minerva McGonagall. The kindly, favorite teacher of Harry, Ron, and Hermione was memorably played by Dame Maggie Smith in the original movies.
The report also confirms the rumors that Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu (The Lazarus Project) is in the final stages of deal-making to play Professor Severus Snape.
Whoever takes that role has a hell of a job to do, as they follow in the footsteps of the unbeatable Alan Rickman. Also, as anyone familiar with the books knows, in the latter stages of the story, there is a huge amount to cover in this characters’ backstory. Some of this was galloped through far too quickly in the movies, and it has the opportunity to really add a whole other layer to the character when portrayed on television with more space for sub-plots to breathe.
HBO, as expected, has completely declined to comment:
“We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
The series will apparently run for ten years, with a season per school year covering the early books. As the books get progressively longer, darker, and more complex, the later seasons may include splits.
Writer-showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod have already promised a deeper dive into the rich detail that was sometimes sacrificed for the movie adaptions.
In the books, many of the characters such as some of the teachers and the Dursley family were much younger than their movie versions. This will apparently be reflected in the movies.
The series will be filmed at the home of Harry Potter, Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, UK.