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Harry Potter Season 2 has received an important casting update, even though we’re still several months away from Season 1’s premiere. A lot of the remake’s core cast is in place, with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone set to debut at Christmas on HBO and HBO Max. That includes its new golden trio – Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley – alongside the likes of John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.
The adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will bring several new additions – though some who debut in that book, like Lucius Malfoy, are already in the first season (played by Johnny Flynn) – but perhaps the most important is actually a recasting. It was reported earlier this year that Harry Potter‘s Ginny Weasley actress, Gracie Cochrane, will not return for the second season due to “unforeseen circumstances” and will be recast. Now, the casting call for that is officially open on Cast It for children in the UK aged 10-12, as confirmed by casting director Lucy Bevan on Instagram:
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Alongside the casting call, we also get our best look yet at the new Hogwarts crest for the remake. It’s a H logo, but formed out of trees, with detailing at the top and bottom designed to look like branches, leaves, and roots, giving it a much more Earthy feel than the one in the movies, which was made up of the different house mascots.
Ginny Weasley’s Casting Is Crucial For Harry Potter’s Remake
It is obviously a huge shame that Cochrane had to step away from the role of Ginny, and it’ll be imperative to get the casting right again for Season 2. Ginny only has a minor role in The Philosopher’s Stone, seen at Platform 9 3/4 with Molly Weasley (Katherine Parkinson), but she’s a much bigger part of the events of the second book, where she is the one taken into The Chamber of Secrets. Her importance only grows from there, as she becomes a member of Dumbledore’s Army, fights at the Department of Mysteries, joins the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and, eventually, is Harry’s endgame love interest.
There’s a chance here for the show to improve on the movie adaptations of Ginny and Harry’s story. Bonnie Wright did a good job in the role, but some of the scenes they were given were among the most awkward in the entire franchise – specifically, I’m thinking of the shoelace tying scene and the mince pie feeding one. Yes, young love can be awkward and it’s fair to try to represent that in some way, but these were a little too painful to watch, and I think the remake’s expanded runtime can do a better job of developing that story and Ginny as a character.
Given her role across the entire saga, Ginny is the most important Season 2 casting for HBO to get right, but there will be a lot of other key players introduced as well. Among the most notable names set to be cast and debut in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are:
- Dobby
- Arthur Weasley
- Gilderoy Lockhart
- Colin Creevey
- Young Tom Riddle
- Moaning Myrtle
As with Season 1, it’ll be very interesting to see who ends up in those roles, with Season 2 expected to begin filming later this year ahead of a Christmas 2027 release on HBO and HBO Max.
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Casting the 5 Biggest New Harry Potter Characters for Season 2 of HBO’s Remake
