Millennials, prepare yourselves. A Harry Potter remake is in the works at HBO, and the search is on to find the star who will lead the series.
Child actors between the ages of nine and 11 are invited to an open casting call where directors will be looking for the next generation to take on the roles of Harry Potter, and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
The three actors who previously landed these roles have become household names courtesy of the success of the eight Potter films released between 2001 and 2011, which made $7.7 billion in worldwide box-office earnings.
Daniel Radcliffe, who rose to fame playing ‘the boy who lived’ aged 12, now has an estimated worth of $110 million.
Rupert Grint—who portrayed “red hair and a hand-me-down robe” Weasley—is estimated to be worth $50 million.
And Emma Watson, who played the fiercely intelligent Granger, is now thought to be worth $85 million.
For the children who land the roles of the Gryffindor trio, fame surely awaits. But Radcliffe, Grint and Watson have been honest about how intense international attention impacted their childhoods.
Radcliffe has said he wouldn’t want fame for his own child, telling Newsweek in 2022: “Film sets are wonderful places. I think a lot of the time it can be wonderful for kids. But it’s really the fame side of it that should be avoided at all costs.”
Radcliffe, now 35, has been open about the fact he used alcohol to deal with the pressure. While he never drank on set, Radcliffe told ‘Off Camera’ in 2019 he could pinpoint the scenes he was drunk in, but never regretted grasping the opportunity to play Potter.
Being Ron and Hermione
Grint and Watson both said they had considered leaving the franchise while filming, but have intensely fond memories of their teenage days on set.
In a documentary which reunited the stars of the franchise aired in 2022, Watson said she had been “lonely” during filming with Grint adding he had considered “calling it a day.”
Speaking to British Vogue in 2022, Watson said it was “heaven” to have returned to the set of Hogwarts and reunite with her castmates. Watson added she and Radcliffe try and “calm each other’s nerves” in the face of Potter-related attention, adding: “We both mainly try and stay out of the limelight so it’s been nice to have each other’s support.”
Both Radcliffe and Grint now have children of their own—the latter with fellow tween star Georgia Groome of ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’ fame.
Grint, who responds to the name Ron as if it were his own, told Bustle in February: “I live a quite normal existence.
“I’ve always felt there was this expectation for us to go off the rails, follow the child star stereotype. That’s always been something to fight against.”
Finding the next trio
For the HBO series being filmed in the UK between 2025 and 2026, only children from the UK and Ireland will be considered for roles.
They must be aged between the ages of nine and 11 and have their application submitted with the support of a parent or legal guardian.
Applicants are asked to send in two videos. The first is a reading of a poem or story they like—but nothing from Harry Potter.
The second is a video about the actor themselves, including their date of birth, height, and where they live. In this video, applicants are also asked to describe a family member, friend, or pet they are “particularly close to.”
Applicants should tape their submissions in their own accents.
The author of the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling, will act as one of the executive producers of the series. David Heyman, who produced all the films, is also an executive on the project.
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