In surprising news, Harry Potter is already getting a remake, 20 years after The Sorceror's Stone was released in cinemas. The news of an HBO Harry Potter TV reboot is certain to be divisive, both by those disturbed by JK Rowling's involvement and fans who do not wish the supposed sanctity of the original movies to be messed with. What's clear is that Warner Bros intend to cater to continued interest in the Wizarding World that saw the Fantastic Beasts movies earn $1.8 billion despite diminishing quality.
That interest and the now-upcoming Harry Potter TV remake series means a whole new cast is required for the familiar characters. And that also means an opportunity to fan cast the characters millions of children grew up with, including the missing characters from the Harry Potter movies. The key rules here are that this isn't just about recasting the Harry Potter movies, it's about going back to the books as the source. As tempting as it would be to fan-cast Daniel Radcliffe as Voldemort, or Tom Felton as Lucius Malfoy, it's best to avoid recasting major actors from the existing movie series. So who could play The Golden Trio and the Order of the Phoenix in the Harry Potter remake?
16 3 Newcomers As The Golden Trio
Anyone cast as Harry Potter will immediately be compared to Daniel Radcliffe, which is a difficult proposition, to say the least. And that's without mentioning the issues with comparing Ron Weasley to Rupert Grint's amazing performance and weight the new Hermione Granger against Emma Watson. The only reasonable solution is to do what the original Harry Potter did, and casting essentially total newcomers. A multi-season approach would allow the audience to grow with the actors, and the removal of any baggage is a very smart starting point. The same, of course, goes for the entire young cast of Hogwarts students, who should all be similarly lesser known when cast.
15 Brian Cox As Albus Dumbledore
The temptation to cast Jude Law as Dumbledore and to continue one of the few positives of the Fantastic Beasts movies must give way to the fact that he's simply not old enough. Book Dumbledore is a "classic wizard" with long white hair - no amount of aging up or CG could really get Law there. Succesion star Brian Cox was up for the role of Alastor Moody in the original movies, and has the necessary gravitas to play Dumbledore, particularly as the later stories questioned the Hogwarts Headmaster's morality.
14 Benedict Cumberbatch As Lord Voldemort
Having already played one great villain, Tom Hiddleston would be a strong contender for Lord Voldemort, but there's something about the physicality of Benedict Cumberbatch that should win out. Both Cumberbatch's performances as Doctor Strange in the MCU and Sherlock Holmes bristle with hawtiness and a slight removal from humanity that could be dialed up perfectly for Voldemort's superiority. He also has the acting chops to play the fearsome side of the character, as his performance capture work as Smaug in the Hobbit movie series proved.
13 Barry Keoghan As Severus Snape
Despite Alan Rickman's near-definitive casting as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, Snape was supposed to be just 32 when Harry arrived at Hogwarts. Rickman so well embodied the role that the age discrepancy was never even a consideration, but in the interest of getting the best talent and someone who fits the right age, rising star Barry Keoghan would be the right answer. Prodigiously talented and gifted with an almost innate tortured depth to his performances, Keoghan could do wonderful things with the material provided by Snape's arc.
12 Olivia Colman As Minerva McGonagall
Again, a new direction for the casting of Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall would fix an issue with the Harry Potter movies - that Dame Maggie Smith's brilliant performance hid the fact that her version was significantly older than the book version. The requirement for casting a new McGonagall should follow what makes her such a good character in both versions: she has the capacity for prickliness, but she's easily one of the most straight-forward, morally centered witches in the entire universe, and likable beyond all else. Even compromising slightly on the idea of her as "severe-looking", Olivia Colman - British national treasure - would be the stand-out candidate.
11 Nick Frost As Rubeus Hagrid
If Harry Potter didn't have to be British, there might be a case for Jack Black to play Rubeus Hagrid, because of the requirement to be likable on such a universal level. But turning to Britain, Nick Frost could pull off the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts in a Harry Potter TV remake. He has a similar comic demeanor to Robbie Coltrane, and the fact that he's not an actual Giant will hold him back no more than it did his forebear in the role. Frost has the right warmth, the right comic timing and the right balance of big heart and slight foolishness that makes Hagrid so endearing.
10 Michaela Coel As Bellatrix Lestrange
Helena Bonham-Carter clearly had a blast playing Bellatrix Lestrange, because Bellatrix is easily one of the least restrained characters in the Harry Potter universe. Bonham-Carter may have played her as somewhat wilder than the books, but the requirement with Bellatrix is to be both convincingly powerful and sadistic, but perversely enjoyable as a screen presence. That requires the kind of acting skill only someone as gifted as Michaela Coel could carry off, and both her comedy background and her prowess in more dramatic roles could add exactly the right blend for such an important figure.
9 Matt Smith As Lucius Malfoy
Anyone who enjoyed Matt Smith's performance as Daemon Targaryen in The House of Dragons will know that his suitability to play Lucius Malfoy goes well beyond how well he suits long blonde hair. In both the Game of Thrones spin-off and The Crown, Smith embodies a cold regal poise that occasionally strays into outright villainy (in the former example more, of course). He is devilishly watchable, darkly charismatic and thoroughly detestable when needed, which is exactly what should be expected of Lucius Malfoy.
8 Aaron Taylor-Johnson As Sirius Black
The Harry Potter movies leaned heavily into hiring the most exceptional British acting talent available, despite the fact that Gary Oldman was too old to play the book version of Sirius Black, who died at the age of just 36. Aaron Taylor-Johnson already hits the right age bracket, and would be great for balancing the two sides of Sirius - the terrifying assumed mass murderer and the perfect, charming image of the swashbuckling godfather. Sirius has to be believed as the ideal image of Harry's hero, as well as being a gifted wizard which Taylor-Johnson's action movie roles puts him in a strong position for.
7 Dev Patel As Remus Lupin
If Sirius was Harry's ideal image of an all-action father, and the image he probably wished to craft himself into, Remus Lupin was the other side of his father figures. Remus' physical appearance in the books is of a young man marked by mysterious strain (the flecks of grey in his hair, his perpetually tired look), which requires an actor set up for soulful but subtle performances. Dev Patel - again, in the right age group for Lupin at the time of the books - fits the bill perfectly. he is the kind of thoughtful performer who could take on a key, but far more reserved role alongside Sirius Black.
6 Tom Hardy As Mad-Eye Moody
Like Bellatrix Lestrange, there is a significant "fun factor" when it comes to Alastor Moody that has to be considered when casting who would replace Brendan Gleeson. While Mad-Eye was painfully under-nourished in all but his debut movie, there is more to him in the Harry Potter books and a real opportunity to capture what makes him such a fan favorite character. Whoever is cast needs to convince the audience both of Alastor's eccentricity and his legendary status as the world's most famous Auror and hunter of Death Eaters. Who else but Tom Hardy could capture both elements? Known for quirky performances and a sometimes terrifying physicality, he's the perfect choice.
5 Regé-Jean Page As Gilderoy Lockhart
Kenneth Branagh's charming, conniving Gilderoy Lockhart was one of the best additions to the Harry Potter movie sequels, no matter how short-lived his part was. Branagh nailed the book version of Lockhart's obnoxious, over-bearing charm and his distinctly unlikable character, as well as the believable factor of his heart-throb status in the wider Wizarding World community. Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page can capture the same balance of smugness and charm, painting an exaggerated caricature of what made his Duke so compelling and would allow him to have some more fun with the role.
4 Jon Richardson & Lucy Beaumont As Arthur & Molly Weasley
While they may come as a surprising choice - especially considering Molly Weasley's increasingly important role in the Harry Potter sequels, but this casting is stunt casting of the most wholesome kind. Jon Richardson and his wife Lucy Beaumont are a pair of British comedians, whose dynamic as a couple plays into their TV shows together, as well as their stand-up. Richardson's slant on comedy is that he's old before his time - an old man trapped in a young man's body - and Beaumont fits the same mold. Their chemistry together would be wonderful as the elder Weasleys.
3 Andrew Scott As Professor Quirrell
Professor Quirinus Quirrell is effectively two performances rolled into one, with the snivelling, stuttering Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher masking his true identity as an underling (and host) of Lord Voldemort's soul. Andrew Scott has nailed the villainous side, thanks to his stunning turn as Moriarty in Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock and has played more wholesome and far more gentle characters in the likes of His Dark Materials and Fleabag. The most interesting part of Quirrell's arc, of course, is his transformation from is the sale of his deceit, and Scott has exactly what it takes to make that impactful even with an already-aware audience.
2 Michael Sheen & Phoebe Waller-Bridge As Vernon & Petunia Dursley
Michael Sheen may be a little older than the Potters when they died, but in the books he's mentioned as a Director of drill-firm Grunnings, suggesting he was some way older than his wife, Petunia. That also allows for one of the most gifted British actors of the generation to step into an unexpected but no less exciting role, and the potential for Uncle Vernon to have a little more depth. Alongside him, Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge could be an excellent comic foil, with her own excellent character acting ability adding similar depth to a very key character. And them being different is almost the most important factor to their odd chemistry.
1 David Harewood As Kingsley Shacklebolt
While Kingsley Shacklebolt was something of a peripheral figure in the Harry Potter movies, but he is a key member of the Order of the Phoenix and would likely benefit from an expanded role in a Harry Potter series, especially with more focus on the Department of Magic. In the books, Shacklebolt is described as tall, broad shouldered and with a slow, deliberate note that is said to be reassuring. That description suggests a regality that would fit an actor like David Harewood, who obviously also has genre series experience thanks to Supergirl.