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After an extensive search, the actors set to play the new leads of the Harry Potter<\/a> TV series have been found.<\/p>\n The open casting call<\/a> for British children ages 9 to 11 led HBO to the three leads of its multi-season television series: newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron,\u201d said Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, the executive producers, in a statement. \u201cThe talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It\u2019s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.\u201d<\/p>\n The three child actors round out the world first imagined by JK Rowling<\/a> in her smash seven-book series and played by a who\u2019s who of British actors across eight feature films released between 2001 and 2011.<\/p>\n Last month, HBO confirmed<\/a>, after much speculation, that John Lithgow would play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry originally played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, in the series designed to run for over a decade, with at least one season per book.<\/p>\n Other confirmed cast include series regulars Paapa Essiedu<\/a> as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, as well as Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse<\/a> as Argus Filch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can\u2019t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life,\u201d Gardiner and Mylod said at the time.<\/p>\n The series will be a \u201cfaithful adaptation\u201d of the books by Rowling, \u201cfull of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years\u201d, according to Max, the streaming service for HBO soon to be renamed HBO Max, in a statement upon the series announcement<\/a> in April 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cEach season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.\u201d<\/p>\n Rowling, who maintains ownership over key aspects of Harry Potter intellectual property, including the characters, will serve as an executive producer on the series. Her involvement has drawn controversy from some fans of the franchise for her numerous anti-trans statements, which led to a rift<\/a> with the original films\u2019 three stars. In March, Rowling appeared to take a swipe<\/a> at Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint on social media, five years after the actors publicly rebuked an essay<\/a> in which she called arguments about \u201cfemaleness not residing in the sexed body \u2026 deeply misogynistic and regressive\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked by journalist Matthew Belloni if Rowling\u2019s views on transgender people made him concerned for the show, HBO\u2019s chief content officer, Casey Bloys, told The Town podcast in April: \u201cWe already have a show on HBO<\/a> from her called CB Strike that we do with the BBC. It\u2019s pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She\u2019s entitled to them. Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything. And if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n The 59-year-old author\u2019s expansive Harry Potter world \u2013 including the books, films, video games and theater \u2013 is worth an estimated \u00a320bn<\/a> ($25bn).<\/p>\n Gardiner, an executive producer, will also serve as showrunner for the new series. She was previously a writer and consulting producer for the HBO hit Succession, as well as a writer\/producer on His Dark Materials and Killing Eve. Mylod, a regular director for Succession, will direct several episodes in association with Bront\u00eb Film and TV and Warner Bros Television<\/a>.<\/p>\n