The upcoming Harry Potter HBO reboot can delight audiences by bringing back actors from the original film series in new roles as grown-up characters. The Harry Potter movies were so beloved by viewers that, when the series does air, it will undoubtedly be compared to the films and the new actors will have to see how they stack up against the cast members who embodied these parts across eight movies. It will be hard for viewers to separate the two adaptations and one way to connect them would be by having some of the earlier actors reappear as older characters.
While the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, will undoubtedly be played by new actors, the various family members, professors, and villains that populate the world of Harry Potter could surely be played by familiar faces. The question of what characters previous Harry Potter actors would like to play has been asked to several cast members, and some have even voiced their preference. While it’s unlikely that major cast members like Daniel Radcliffe will agree to reappear in the series, it is still interesting to think about what characters they would be best suited to playing.
10 Matthew Lewis As Professor Remus Lupin
Matthew Lewis originally portrayed Neville Longbottom
As Neville Longbottom, the round-faced Gryffindor student, Matthew Lewis has appeared in all eight Harry Potter movies and has already revealed who he would be interested in playing in the upcoming TV series. During a panel in Orlando, Lewis stated (via People) he was “too old to play Neville again” and that purely based on “when I read the books” he’d like to be Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher and werewolf Remus Lupin. While Lewis said the original actor David Thewlis “could never be beaten” that “if I was to have a go, that would be one that I’d do.”
9 Tom Felton As Lucius Malfoy
Tom Felton originally portrayed Draco Malfoy
One way the Harry Potter series could reference the movies would be having Tom Felton portray the Slytherin Death Eater Lucius Malfoy. Already known to audiences as a Malfoy, Felton expertly played Harry’s rival Draco, and he could take his skills as an arrogant and spiteful bully to the next level by playing his more sinister father. Since the movies ended, Felton has shown a love for the world of Harry Potter and has consistently shared Harry Potter content across his social media, even sharing a meeting with Lucius’ actor Jason Isaacs in a recent Instagram post.
8 Bonnie Wright As Dolores Umbridge
Bonnie Wright originally portrayed Ginny Weasley
Bonnie Wright made her film debut at the age of nine in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as the eventual love interest of Harry, Ginny Weasley. Often a shy and reserved character, it would be interesting to have Wright play against type and demonstrate her more abrasive side as the stern, strict, and unsympathetic Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge. Regarded by many as the worst villain of Harry Potter, including Voldemort, Wright would excel at both dimensions of Umbridge, the pink-wearing girlishness of her appearance, which was in contrast to her cruel, corrupt, and prejudiced personality.
7 Robert Pattinson As Severus Snape
Robert Pattinson originally portrayed Cedric Diggory
Robert Pattinson has come a long way since he played Cedric Diggory in one of his earliest film appearances in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After that, Pattinson became known worldwide as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series and has since played various challenging roles in movies like Good Time, The Lighthouse, and The Batman. Now known as much more than a handsome love interest, Pattinson would surely bring something interesting to the role of Professor Severus Snape. A deeply layered and contradictory character, Pattinson would revel in embodying Snape’s sad backstory, cruel teaching style, and eventual redemption.
6 Evanna Lynch As Professor Trelawney
Evanna Lynch originally portrayed Luna Lovegood
Irish actress Evanna Lynch stated that Harry Potter helped her recover from her eating disorder and has always shown a great love for the series, having played Luna Lovegood across the final four films. For this reason, it would be great to see her return to the series as, a character who has a lot in common with Luna, Professor Trelawney. The eccentric and mystic Divination teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Trelawney shared a lot of Luna’s idiosyncratic nature, and it would be thrilling to see Lynch take up the role originally played by Emma Thompson.
5 Frank Dillane As Lord Voldemort
Frank Dillane originally portrayed Young Tom Riddle
One actor well suited to taking up the role of Lord Voldemort would be Frank Dillane. Dillane already has experience with the character as Dillane played a 16-year-old Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and could challenge that experience to become the older version of Voldemort. Dillane has television credentials with a main role as Nick Clark on Fear the Walking Dead. As Dillane only played a minor role in the Harry Potter films, his inclusion would not be distracting in the way a major star’s return would be, and would act as a nice callback.
4 Harry Melling As Rubeus Hagrid
Harry Melling originally portrayed Dudley Dursley
Sadly, Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played Rubeus Hagrid, passed away in 2022 and would be unable to return for the Harry Potter television series. Instead, another iconic actor, already known as Dudley Dursley in the film series, Harry Melling should take up the part. Since taking part in Harry Potter, Melling has had notable roles in movies such as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and television series like The Queen’s Gambit. Having previously played Harry Potter’s meanspirited cousin, it would be great to see Melling return in a much kinder role as the half-giant gamekeeper and eventual professor of the Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid.
3 Rupert Grint As Bill Weasley
Rupert Grint originally portrayed Lord Voldemort
If Rupert Grint were to triumphantly return to Harry Potter for the television series it would be hard to separate him from Ron Weasley. For this reason, Grint should do what he does best and remain a Weasley. Not old enough yet to play his muggle-fascinated father, Arthur Weasley, Grint should come back as the eldest son in the family Bill Weasley. Bill made his first appearance in the fifth installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so it would be exciting to see Grint show up in a later season.
2 Emma Watson As Bellatrix Lestrange
Emma Watson originally portrayed Hermione Granger
The role of Hermione Granger was perfectly cast with Emma Watson, and it would be a delight to see her return for the Harry Potter television series, but this time in a much different part as the villainous Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. This would not be the most outrageous suggestion as the two are already deeply connected as, in Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Hermione drank Polyjuice potion and appeared to turn into Lestrange with hilarious consequences. Throughout her career, Watson has never played a villain and the Harry Potter series would be a great opportunity to change this.
1 Daniel Radcliffe As Sirius Black
Daniel Radcliffe originally portrayed Harry Potter
Perhaps the actor audiences would be most interested to see turn up in the Harry Potter television series would be Daniel Radcliffe, although Radcliffe already broken his silence on the Harry Potter series and said he would be unlikely to return in any capacity. Despite this, it’s interesting to imagine him as a new character all these years later, as Radcliffe would excel in the role of Sirius Black. The godfather of Harry, there’s already a nice connection between the two, and Radcliffe’s acting choices since the end of Harry Potter have showcased him as a talent of great versatility.
Sources: People, Instagram
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- First Film
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
- Harry Potter
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen
- TV Show(s)
- Harry Potter
- Character(s)
- Harry Potter , Hermione Granger , Ron Weasley , Dumbledore , Minerva McGonagall , Rubeus Hagrid , Dobby the House Elf , Draco Malfoy , Sirius Black , Ginny Weasley , Voldemort
