First look at Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid revealed as HBO’s Harry Potter reboot begins filming in UK

Rahmah Ghazali
By Rahmah Ghazali

Live Reporter

15th Jul 2025, 4:59pm

HBO has unveiled the first look at Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid in its highly anticipated Harry Potter television series.

This comes a day after revealing the first image of 11-year-old newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter.

The network shared a behind-the-scenes photo of Frost in full costume as the beloved half-giant, originally portrayed by Robbie Coltrane in the film franchise. In the still, the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz actor dons Hagrid’s signature wild hair and beard, clad in earthy, weathered garments, bringing a new interpretation to the iconic Hogwarts gamekeeper.

“Production has commenced on the HBO Original HARRY POTTER television series at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, UK,” HBO said. “The series will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where it’s available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK.”

HBO has unveiled the first look at Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid in its highly anticipated Harry Potter television series.placeholder image
HBO has unveiled the first look at Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid in its highly anticipated Harry Potter television series. | HBO

Filming for Season 1 began on Monday at the same location used in the original films. The new cast includes Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, joining McLaughlin as the central trio. They were selected from more than 30,000 auditionees in a global casting search held last year.

The ensemble also features John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy. Other cast members include Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.

Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as Harry Potter in the new television series. While McLaughlin has had little screentime so far, he’s already been cast in two television series set to be released over the course of the next year. He’ll be appearing in Sky comedy Grow alongside new Hagrid Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel. The series is about a man who returns to his childhood neighborhood after his father's death only to be sucked into the murky world of drug dealing. He’s also been cast in BBC action adventure series Gifted. Set in Edinburgh (and filmed in both Edinburgh and Glasgow), Gifted follows a group of Scottish teenagers who discover they have superpowers.placeholder image
Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as Harry Potter in the new television series. While McLaughlin has had little screentime so far, he’s already been cast in two television series set to be released over the course of the next year. He’ll be appearing in Sky comedy Grow alongside new Hagrid Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel. The series is about a man who returns to his childhood neighborhood after his father's death only to be sucked into the murky world of drug dealing. He’s also been cast in BBC action adventure series Gifted. Set in Edinburgh (and filmed in both Edinburgh and Glasgow), Gifted follows a group of Scottish teenagers who discover they have superpowers. | Aidan Monaghan/HBO

The series is helmed by showrunner and writer Francesca Gardiner (His Dark Materials, Killing Eve), with direction by Succession’s Mark Mylod. Gardiner and Mylod also serve as executive producers, alongside J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.

The series is being produced by HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. It is expected to run for a full decade, with each season covering one of the seven books in the series.

Related topics:HBOHarry PotterTVItalyGermany
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