The well-loved books spawned a well-loved movie series, but there was always the feeling that there was quite alot of back story missing from the Harry Potter movie adaptations. Particularly in the later books, several characters and key scenes felt quite badly served when compared to the literary versions.
Harry Potter showrunner Francesca Gardiner (Succession) has said that the benefit of doing them as a new TV series is that it gives them a “bigger sandpit to play in” than the movies. Executive producer Mark Mylod (The Last of Us) also said that they’ll “dig into the depths and crevices of Hogwarts.”
He went on to say that having more room to adapt these stories also means they can “really dig into the character arcs,” though their intention is not to “undo what was done so brilliantly” on the big screen. We will, however, get an updated take on Hogwarts and “get to have some fun with Peeves in the corridors.”
Now, as the set pics start to flow from the production, we can see how this new world is shaping up. Quite a few online commentators have noted that the new adaption appears to be set in the same time period as the books, the early 1990s, as opposed to the movies that took place in the early 2000s. They have deduced this from the fashions on display on set.
One set pic has leaked from London shooting, showing Harry following Hagrid through the streets, probably on his way to his first ever visit to Diagon Alley. Another shows Potter in some casual clothes.
The production recently took over London’s Kings Cross station to film the Platform 9 3/4s scenes that will see the children departing for Hogwarts for the first time. This gave everyone their first look at the Weasley family.
Dominic McLaughlin has been cast in the role of Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Joining them will be Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley, Gabriel Harland as George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley.
The adult cast of Harry Potter includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Joining them will be Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
