Summary

New HBO Harry Potter series actors cast as Dursleys satisfy fans due to accurate age representation.
Fans hope HBO series follows books closely, and anticipate appearances by original film actors.
Recent Harry Potter series casting additions disclosed, with premiere scheduled for 2026.

HBO's Harry Potter series has gotten everyone talking as fans are curious about how the magical story will translate to the small screen. Now the actors playing the memorable Dursleys have been cast, and fans have some strong opinions.

In recent weeks, there have been several Harry Potter casting announcements. Nick Frost is playing Hagrid, Harry Potter's beloved mentor and friend. The three main actors have also been shared: Alastair Stout, Arbella Stanton, and Dominic McLaughlin are portraying Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. While the series premiere is still fairly far away, the series is beginning to take more concrete shape, and audiences are eager to see how the TV show differs from the popular movies.

HBO's Harry Potter Series Should Copy The Movies In One Major Way For Hermione

HBO's Harry Potter must copy the movies with one significant decision that was made for Hermione Granger.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

The Harry Potter HBO Series Has Cast Vernon And Petunia Dursley, And This Is Why Fans Are Excited

Dudley (Harry Melling), Vernon (Richard Griffiths), and Petunia Dursley (Fiona Shaw) in Harry Potter

Variety reported that Daniel Rigby and Bel Powley have been cast as Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter's uncle and aunt whom he lives with before he begins attending Hogwarts. As noted by Variety, Rigby is starring in the Amazon Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099, Powley starred in AppleTV+'s The Morning Show and several movies including The King of Staten Island.

Fans of the magical franchise are happy about this casting announcement because Rigby and Powley are the right ages. Redditor @CampDifficult7887 wrote:

"I'm here for book age accurate adults!"

Redditor @sean_psc added:

"This is actually in line with the ages of the book characters. Harry’s parents’ generation all got aged up in the films."

Several more fans discussed this casting in another Reddit thread. Redditor @hazelspalace wrote:

"I think these new castings look great! The adults are age accurate to the book which is a nice change."

Redditor @capncrunch1138 added, "Im so hyped that they’re casting younger actors for the adults."

Since audiences are used to older actors portraying younger characters, it's perhaps surprising that fans are talking about the ages of the actors who are taking on the mean and unforgettable Dursleys. It's become common to see twentysomething or even, sometimes, thirtysomethings portraying teenagers. However, fans hope that HBO's Harry Potter follows the book series as closely as possible since so many people grew up reading Harry's coming-of-age tale. Fans would also be glad if some of the Harry Potter movie franchise actors joined the HBO series, although that might not end up happening.

Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, and Harry Melling played Vernon, Petunia, and their miserable and cruel son Dudley Dursley in the beloved film franchise. All three are talented stars who have appeared in many other high-profile projects. The late Griffiths was a beloved stage actor known for The History Boys but starred in several movies including Sleepy Hollow, and Melling has several TV credits to his name including The Queen's Gambit and His Dark Materials. Shaw has starred on Andor, Bad Sisters, True Detective: Night Country, and Killing Eve. As the Dursleys are muggles and Harry, of course, learns he's a wizard, his dynamic with his family members is always fascinating. Although the Dursleys don't appear in every Harry Potter movie, they're some of the most important characters in the franchise. It will be interesting to see how often they appear on the TV series.

Several other Harry Potter HBO series cast members have been added recently. Bertie Carvel is playing Cornelius Fudge, Sienna Moosah is Lavender Brown, Leo Earley is playing Seamus Finnigan, and Katherine Parkinson is playing Ron's charming sister Molly Weasley, who is an underrated Harry Potter character. Fans highly anticipated who would take on Harry's enemy Draco Malfoy, and Lox Pratt has been cast in this notable role. Other actors include Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy.

A few weeks ago, Deadline reported that Harry Potter will premiere on HBO in 2026, and the series will shoot in the summer of 2025.

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