More actors will be joining Hogwarts on Christmas for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series. The show is set to debut on HBO in December 25, 2026 and will reimagine the iconic J.K. Rowling story. And while most of the main cast has already been decided, a few frequent characters seen at Hogwarts have also found their voices.
In a new report published by Deadline, Shameless actor David Threlfall will be lending his voice to the infamous Sorting Hat. The hat is responsible for sorting out new students into the various Hogwarts houses at the school, which places the titular Harry Potter in Gryffindor house. But David isn’t the only actor announced for the upcoming series.
Alongside the Sorting Hat, various other Hogwarts ghosts have been decided. Andrew Brooke will play the Bloody Baron, Leo Bill will play Nearly Headless Nick, and Daniel Fearn will be the Fat Friar. These ghosts appear in Hogwarts as part of the various spirits that roam the halls of the school, and are considered the house ghosts for each Hogwarts house.
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In addition, comedian Laura Smyth will play the Fat Lady, an entity within a painting that resides in Hogwarts. In the Harry Potter stories, the Fat Lady is an oil painting that guards and lets students into the Gryffindor Tower when given a password.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the first season of the new Harry Potter series reboot. Casting for the first season has been announced frequently for many of the main characters that appear in the first story of J.K. Rowling’s book series. The main trio of young wizards will have Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Other castings for the HBO series include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Fans of the Wizarding World can expect to see more time devoted to showing events that weren’t depicted in the 2001 film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
A second season of the show has been discussed, with some actors already in discussions to join the cast. The new HBO series is being written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, with J.K. Rowling also on board as an executive producer.
