Hogwarts Is Being Reimagined for HBO Max’s ‘Harry Potter’

4 days ago 10
Hogwarts Castle from Harry Potter Image via Warner Bros.

Published Feb 6, 2026, 6:45 PM EST

Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.

For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things BoschMission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch. 

He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.

His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes. 

The wizarding world isn’t just coming back — it’s being rebuilt from the ground up. New set images from HBO Max’s upcoming Harry Potter series reveal that Hogwarts is getting a full-scale reimagining, and fans are already dissecting every brick, branch, and greenhouse in sight.

Filming is currently underway in the UK for the long-gestating TV adaptation, which is slated to debut in 2027, and the latest photos give us our clearest look yet at how expansive this version of Hogwarts is shaping up to be. Visible constructions include the Hogwarts courtyard, what appears to be Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, and the unmistakable outline of the Whomping Willow — a deep-cut tease that’s already sending Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban fans spiraling.

The greenhouse is a particularly intriguing reveal. As book readers will remember, it’s where Professor Sprout — head of Hufflepuff House — teaches Herbology, and it plays a pivotal role in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with the introduction of Mandrakes. Seeing that set go up this early suggests HBO Max is thinking long-term, planting seeds (literally) for future seasons well before the first one even airs.

Who Stars in 'Harry Potter'?

The new Harry Potter series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, alongside John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. The Weasley family includes Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, with Tristan Harland, Gabriel Harland, Ruari Spooner, and Gracie Cochrane appearing as Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny Weasley, while Lox Pratt plays Draco Malfoy.

Other Hogwarts students include Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley. Additional cast members include Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Louise Brealey as Madam Hooch, and Leigh Gill as Griphook.

The series has been filming since the early summer of 2025, and is set to continue all the way through until later this year, at which point a short break will be undertaken ahead of Season 2's adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

harry-potter-poster.jpg

Showrunner Francisca Gardiner

Directors Mark Mylod

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Dominic McLaughlin

    Harry Potter

  • instar49592375.jpg
  • instar50274500.jpg
  • instar49598056.jpg
Read Entire Article