The wait is almost over. HBO released the first official photo from its highly anticipated Harry Potter series on March 24, and it delivers exactly what fans have been holding out for: Hogwarts, in full, undeniable form.
The image shows newcomer Dominic McLaughlin, 11, as Harry Potter, walking toward a group of students at the Quidditch pitch in his Gryffindor robes. The back reads “Potter” with the number 7. It is a simple image that carries enormous weight, the first concrete confirmation that this production is real, it is serious, and it is moving.
McLaughlin inherits the role from Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry across eight films. Radcliffe has been openly supportive of the new cast, writing McLaughlin a personal letter wishing him well. McLaughlin called receiving it “insane.” Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout round out the central trio as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
The supporting cast is stacked. John Lithgow steps in as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu takes on Severus Snape, Janet McTeer plays Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost is Rubeus Hagrid. Production designer Mara LePere-Schloop, whose credits include Interview With the Vampire and Pachinko, is responsible for the look of Hogwarts in the new series.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod are leading the production, currently underway at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K. The plan is to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books into its own season. The series premieres on HBO in 2027.