American network HBO has confirmed that Nick Frost, Papa Essedoo, Janet McTeer and Paul Whitehouse will appear in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
Frost will play Hagrid, McTeer will play Minerva McGonagall and Essedoo will play Severus Snape. All three have reportedly been in talks with the network in recent weeks.
HBO has now officially confirmed their cast, announcing that Whitehouse, known for Fast & Furious and Harry & Paul, will play Argus Filch.
The network also confirmed the announcement in February that John Lithgow would play Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
The show is set to begin filming this summer, with the first series likely to air early next year.
The actors who will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have yet to be cast.
HBO launched an open casting call for the three lead roles, which reportedly received more than 30,000 applications.
John Lithgow, who plays Dumbledore, recently starred in the Oscar-winning Conclave and has also appeared in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Footloose and The Crown. He won an Olivier Award last week for his performance as Roald Dahl in the stage play Giant, which is soon transferring to the West End.
Papa Essedu, who plays Hogwarts teacher Severus Snape, rose to fame in the TV series I May Destroy You and has also appeared in Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project. Last year, he starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun and will appear in a new stage production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons in the West End later this year.
Janet McTeer, who plays Professor McGonagall, has appeared in films including Wuthering Heights, Albert Nobbs and The Menu, as well as TV series Ozark and Jessica Jones. Later this year, she will be seen in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Nick Frost, who plays the friendly half-giant Hagrid, is best known for his appearances in the comedies Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End and Paul. His television credits include Spaced and Into the Badlands, and he voices SM-33 in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
Paul Whitehouse, who plays Argus Filch, has appeared in the BBC sketch comedy series The Fast Show and with Harry Enfield in Harry and Paul. He also appears with Bob Mortimer in Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, and his stage credits include Only Fools and Horses The Musical.
Luke Talon, who plays Quirinus Quirrell, has appeared in stage productions including Patriots, Albion and Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt. He was recently seen playing the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer Mark Mylod said they were “delighted to have such extraordinary talent and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to life.”
J.K. Rowling’s wildly successful series of novels has previously been adapted into a film franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe as Potter.
However, the TV series will have more breathing room to explore the storylines of the books without the time constraints of the film.
Rowling will serve as an executive producer on the TV series, which HBO has said will be a “faithful adaptation” of her books.
More casting announcements are expected soon, with other actors rumored to be in talks to join, including Cillian Murphy as Voldemort.
