Ted Lasso star Bret Goldstein is said to be in the running to play beloved Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, which will air on Max in 2026.
The character was famously played by the late Robbie Coltrane in the iconic movie franchise.
Deadline reports that his name has been making rounds but HBO won’t confirm.
The studio behind the live-action Wizarding World is hard at work on finding who they want to play the next iteration of characters originally created by J. K. Rowling.
As per Deadline, the series has begun its casting process, as also shared by Warner Bros, who only recently sent out a casting call for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.
Its writer, Francesca Gardiner, recently shared that over 32,000 children had sent in audition tapes for the three main roles.
As for the adult roles, the studio’s casting team are busy figuring out which British actors will be available to film next summer for the first season before signing any deals.
When it comes to the ages of the adult characters, Gardiner confirmed that the remake would be sticking to the “canonical” ages, as stated in Rowling’s original novels.
This means that characters such as Severus Snape and the Dursleys will be much younger in comparison to the Daniel Radcliffe-led movie franchise, with Snape in the books only being in his early 30s.
It’s believed that no actor has officially signed on just yet.
However, official casting news is expected to be shared sooner rather than later.
“We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation,” HBO said in a statement regarding casting details making the rounds online.
“As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
Additional names to be making the rounds, as per Deadline, include various high-profile stars.
The Mummy star Rachel Weisz is said to be on HBO’s “wish list” for the role of Minerva McGonagall, famously played by the late Maggie Smith.
Mark Strong’s name has also been thrown around recently for the role of Dumbledore, famously played by both the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon.
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