It’s almost time for fans to return to Hogwarts, as the release date for HBO’s Harry Potter series creeps closer.
The show, which will reimagine J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World for a new generation, is set to premiere this Christmas with a fresh take on the author’s first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Dominic McLaughlin will play the titular wizard, taking over from Daniel Radcliffe. Originally from Lanarkshire, the young actor beat out more than 32,000 other children to land the role, with his previous credits including Sky film Grow, which he starred in alongside Nick Frost, the new Rubeus Hagrid.
The open casting call found the perfect Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, respectively. As for the professors and parents in Harry Potter, notable cast members include John Lithgow as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall, with Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Harry’s Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley.
With so many new names and faces set to appear in the HBO series, here is the full cast for the show side by side with their film equivalent.
21. Lavender Brown — Sienna Moosah (TV) & Jessie Cave (films)
A love interest of Ron’s in the later films, Lavender Brown – and another of Hermione’s Gryffindor dormmates – Lavender Brown will be played by Sienna Moosah in the TV series. Comedian and actress Jessie Cave is best remembered for her performance as Lavender in the later films, but she only made her first appearance in the sixth instalment Half-Blood Prince. Kathleen Cauley and Jennifer Smith were credited for the role previously. | Contributed/Getty Images
22. Parvati Patil — Alessia Leoni (TV) & Shefali Chowdhury (films)
Parvati Patil will be the first major on-screen role for young Italian actor Alessia Leoni. Parvati is one of Hermione’s dormmates, with her twin sister, Padma, sorted into Ravenclaw. In the films, she is played by Shefali Chowdhury in the fourth, fifth and sixth Harry Potter films, with Sitara Shah credited as Parvati in the third film. | Contributed/Getty Images
23. Gryffindor
Here we have a group of Gryffindor students, many of whom have yet to appear in the films. From left, you have Eire Farrell who will play Katie Bell – previously portrayed by Georgina Leonidas in films six to eight. Then there’s Asha Soetan as Angelina Johnson, who was plagued by Danielle Tabor in the first three films and Tiana Benjamin (pictured inset) in film four. Orson Matthews will take over from Scottish actor Sean Biggerstaff (centre, inset) as Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood, with Serrana Su-Ling Bliss bringing Alicia Spinnet to life on-screen for the first time. Finally on the far right is Ethan Smith, who will play Quidditch commentator Lee Jordan, following Luke Youngblood’s turn as the character. | Aidan Monaghan/HBO/Getty Images
24. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas — Leo Earley and Elijah Oshin (TV) & Devon Murray & Alfred Enoch (films)
While not pictured here, we do know who has been cast as Harry’s Hogwarts housemates Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Finnigan, an Irish half-blood wizard, will be played by Leo Earley, while Thomas, an English half-blood wizard, will mark Elijah Oshin’s first TV appearance. In the film series, the friends were played by Devon Murray and Alfred Enoch, as pictured. | Getty Images