HBO Casts Jasper Talbot and Hannah Chinn as James and Lily Potter, Plus Harry Gilby as Charlie Weasley

HBO has cast Jasper Talbot as James Potter, Hannah Chinn as Lily Potter and Harry Gilby as Charlie Weasley in season 1 of its Harry Potter series, according to Variety. Season 1 adapts Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and premieres Friday, December 25, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max in the US, per Geektown.

Talbot’s credits include Broadchurch and Inter Alia, and Chinn appeared in The Conjuring: Last Rites and Domina, per Geektown. Gilby, who played roles in Tolkien and The Last Kingdom, joins as Charlie, the second-eldest son of Arthur (Rafe Spall) and Molly Weasley (Katherine Parkinson), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

James and Lily were played by Adrian Rawlins and Geraldine Somerville in the films, per TVLine. In those movies the couple appeared in flashbacks, photographs and magical manifestations, according to Variety. Soapcentral notes the series gives James the blue eyes Harry has on screen, while Lily has hazel eyes, a departure from the books’ descriptions.

Charlie is a minor character in the books and did not appear in the films apart from a family photo, per Variety and TVLine. ComicBook.com notes he is mentioned in the first book but does not physically appear until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Soapcentral reports HBO teased the character in August 2025 with a Weasley family photo caption saying Charlie was in Romania but would join the family soon.

The new cast members join Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid, per The Hollywood Reporter. Season 2 casting already includes Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart, according to Variety. Francesca Gardiner writes and executive produces the series.

Latest on Every Movie Plug · Harry Potter HBO’s Harry Potter Kicks Off With Over $200 Million Investment for Season 1 The series carries a reported $200 million-plus investment for season 1, with a Christmas Day premiere. Read the story → Latest on Every Movie Plug · Harry Potter HBO’s Harry Potter Series Budget Revealed: Filings Point to About $25 Million Per Episode UK production filings suggest season one spent £147.4 million by the end of 2025. Read the story → Latest on Every Movie Plug · Harry Potter Harry Potter Is Starting Over, and the Franchise Is Betting Big How the Harry Potter franchise grew, stumbled, and is now rebooting as an HBO series. Read the article →