HBO is casting a wide net for its Harry Potter series

No one really wanted HBO to do a Harry Potter show in the first place, but at least they seem somewhat committed to doing it right. (Minus the J.K. Rowling of it all, of course.) Instead of relying on the disgraced author to churn out more drivel about wizards shitting on the floor (or whatever else she gets up to when she's not being sued for her vile transphobia and cyberbullying), HBO tapped Succession's Francesca Gardiner as a writer and showrunner and Mark Mylod as a director for the series. Now, they've made the incredibly canny decision to actually put out an open casting call for the golden trio instead of forcing us to reckon with Jacob Elordi as Harry or whatever other Sam Levinson-esque nonsense they could have come up with. Dare we say, 10 points to HBO?

The casting call, which was confirmed to be authentic by Variety, states that it is only searching for "children who are aged 9-11 in April 2025, and a resident of the UK or Ireland." It currently has buttons to submit for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It also states that the show is "committed to inclusive, diverse casting," with a special note that "qualified performers" should be submitted for every role "without regard to ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by law unless otherwise specifically indicated." It will be interesting to see if this commitment actually bears any fruit with Rowling as an executive producer, but it's definitely a promising start.

These days, going to a movie theater feels a bit like watching a revolving door filled with the same ten or so actors in different wigs and outfits, so it's always refreshing when a major tentpole actually commits to finding new talent. It paid off for Percy Jackson And The Olympians, and it especially paid off for the original Harry Potter movies, which made Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint into overnight sensations. It's hard for this writer to imagine Harry, Hermione, and Ron being played by anyone else, but maybe the next generation will say the same for whoever this open call discovers.