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Harry PotterWBThis article was published on 3/27 and republished on 3/29.The Harry Potter HBO series has been all over the place when it comes to casting choices from the decent Dumbledore pick, John Lithgow, to the baffling Snape pick, the too-handsome Paapa Essiedu. Now? Its about to cast an actor who is a slam-dunk for the role hes heading toward.That would be Nick Frost as the new Hagrid, the famed groundskeeper and key player in especially the early parts of the series. Frost is best-known for his roles in the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg comedies Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. Even though that last one was over a decade ago now, Frost has been in loads of projects since then, including doing a lot of voicework for animated endeavors.Arriving as Hagrid would be his biggest role possibly ever, given the attention that this controversial, but no doubt widely-watched series will have on Max/HBO when it does arrive. Unlike Lithgow, potentially, if the show runs a decade Frost, currently 52, will not age out of it.NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 11: Nick Frost attends Build Series to discuss 'Fighting with My ... More Family' at Build Studio on February 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe original actor in the role of Hagrid for all the films was Robbie Coltrane, who sadly passed away in 2022, albeit no doubt he would not have returned, given that this looks to be a 100% new cast. But he did an excellent job and was a beloved part of those films. Well see if Frost can live up, as perfect as his casting may seem.The biggest question, of course, is who will play the central trio of Harry, Hermione and Ron, though like the original movies, the goal is to find unknown, young actors for those parts, so its not going to be anyone youve ever heard of. Its an immense amount of pressure, so hopefully they will be okay, whoever is cast. The other big part yet to be cast will be that of Voldemort, previously played by Ralph Fiennes, who has endorsed Cillian Murphy for the role, albeit there is nothing to indicate that is actually happening, or if hes interested in being locked into that part for the next decade of his career, recent Oscar-winner and all.I would not expect this show to release before 2027, nor do I expect it to take any less than seven seasons, maybe more, given how long the books get. This is an era where at best, it usually takes 1.5-2 years in between seasons of even not big shows, so this? I dont think its unreasonable to say well be seeing this air into the late 2030s if it doesnt end up cancelled. But I think WB is going to be pot-committed to this one no matter what.Update (3/29): Just to recap where we are in the casting process is at. There is only totally finalized casting at this point, with everyone else near a deal, even if it does work out in the end. We have:John Lithgow as Dumbledore - This one is fully official with Lithgow himself already discussing the casting. Heres what he said at the time:"It was not an easy decision because its going to define me for the last chapter of my life, Im afraid. But Im very excited.Lithgows casting raises questions not about his competency, but about his age. Hes 79 now, and this show seems destined to run for at least 10 years, so hed be nearly 90. Hes talented, but for a long-term project like this, it seems like a questionable choice.Paapa Essiedu as Snape - This is easily the most controversial casting pick of them all (though its not finalized). Some have focused on the changed race of the character, albeit theres nothing in the book that revolves around Snape being white. Rather, the question is that hes just a very traditionally handsome actor when thats really not how Snape is supposed to look, which is key to the story.Janet McTeer as McGonagall - This one is the least secure right now, but McTeer has frequently been brought up as the main name to play the Professor now. You may recognize her from her recurring role on Ozark.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and
