Harry Potter, the HBO series announces new actors…including a second Ron Weasley!

Updates on the cast of the Harry Potter TV series continue, and one in particular anticipates and confirms the inclusion, in the first season of the HBO project, of a scene much loved by readers of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the original novel by JK Rowling.

According to the latest updates, HBO’s Harry Potter TV series has further expanded its vast cast, adding three more actors: one of them will share the role of Ron Weasley with young co-star Alastair Stout, while the other two roles are for minor characters; one is the owner of a shop located in the famous magical shopping area known as Diagon Alley, the other is the manager of a hotel, which could confirm that part of the Harry Potter books will be featured in the TV series, after being excluded from the films.

But let’s take it one step at a time…

Actress Naomi Wirther (Slow Horses) has reportedly been cast in Harry Potter as Madam McClan: the character is the owner of the Diagon Alley shop “Madam McClan’s Robes for All Occasions,” which sells formal wear to wizards and witches of all ages. The shop was a recurring fixture in JK Rowling’s book series, first appearing in the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when Rubeus Hagrid accompanies Harry for the first time to pick up his school uniform for Hogwarts. The shop was mentioned or featured in subsequent books in the series, culminating in a tense confrontation between a more mature Harry and his rival, Draco Malfoy, in the shop during the penultimate book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Neil Edmond (The Agency) has reportedly been cast in the role of an unnamed hotel manager. Although this has not been confirmed, many Harry Potter fans were quick to point out that in “The Philosopher’s Stone” there is a chapter in which Harry’s human relatives (or “Muggles”), the Dursleys, had to flee their home and live in a hotel after some of Harry’s magical adventures. That place, the Railview Hotel, would be the most logical location for this manager to appear.

Finally, the alleged latest new casting for Harry Potter is the most interesting of all: Louis Shelton will apparently play an adult version of Ron Weasley. As you may remember, in “The Philosopher’s Stone,” one of the main mysteries of the story concerns the “Mirror of Erised”; a magical artifact kept at Hogwarts that showed anyone who looked into it a reflection of their deepest desire. In a scene in front of the mirror, Harry sees a version of himself lovingly raised by his deceased parents, while Ron sees himself achieving the same level of academic prestige as his brother Percy “The Perfect”… The “prefect” version of Ron seen in the Mirror of Erised will be played by Louis Shelton.

Essentially, Shelton will appear briefly as a more mature version of Ron, who is further along in his studies at Hogwarts and has all the confidence and bravado that young Ron (and young Alastair Stout) certainly lack. In short, so far it seems that the HBO series will truly adapt every little detail of JK Rowling’s novels, down to the smallest paragraph.

We remind you that HBO’s Harry Potter will be led by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. The supporting cast includes:

John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore

Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall

Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape

Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid

Each season of the series will cover the events of one of J.K. Rowling’s books. The first season of Harry Potter (also known as The Philosopher’s Stone) will feature: