Production of HBO series Harry Potter will begin at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in summer 2025, it has been announced.
The series will feature a brand new cast while staying authentic to the original books, to bring the wizarding adventures to new audiences.
Leavesden is located in Watford, Hertfordshire, and box office hit film Barbie (2023) was largely filmed at the studios there.
On Thursday, Max, the streaming service of Warner Bros, posted to X: “Wands at the ready.
Wands at the ready.
The upcoming HBO Original Series, #HarryPotter, will be filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden with production beginning in Summer 2025 and coming to Max. pic.twitter.com/6JSOA20w52
— Max (@StreamOnMax) December 5, 2024
“The upcoming HBO Original Series, #HarryPotter, will be filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden with production beginning in Summer 2025 and coming to Max.”
Warner Bros is the production company behind the original films, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
The new, decade-long series, based on JK Rowling’s books, was announced in 2023 with Max saying it would be “a faithful adaptation of the iconic books”.
“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years,” the streamer said at the time.
“Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
Following a casting call, announced in September, 32,000 children have auditioned for the lead roles, with the team reviewing up to 1,000 tapes per day, according to HBO.
The casting call stipulated that applicants must be residents of the UK or Ireland aged between nine and 11 on April 2025.
Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who both worked on acclaimed drama Succession, were confirmed as executive producers of the series earlier in the year.
The cast of beloved characters including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – played by Radcliffe, Grint and Watson, respectively – will be announced at a later date.
In recent years, Rowling has attracted criticism for her views on gender identity, but has always strongly denied accusations of transphobia.
Radcliffe, Watson and Grint have spoken up over the years in their support of trans rights.
A Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special aired in 2022 on HBO Max, which only featured Rowling in archive video clips.
