Harry Potter TV series confirms casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost

Warner Bros has finally announced some of the core cast for its upcoming Harry Potter TV series reboot.

The studio confirmed what actor John Lithgow has been publicly saying for weeks: he is set to play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Joining him are three British actors who have all been named in rumours flying around the production. Janet McTeer will play Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu will take on the role of Professor Snape and funnyman Nick Frost will portray Rubeus Hagrid.

The production also confirmed Luke Thallon has been cast as Professor Quirell, a key character in the first book, while Paul Whitehead has joined as Mr Filch in a recurring capacity.

Lithgow, a six-time Emmy winner including for his vivid performance as Winston Churchill in The Crown, confirmed in February he is set to be part of the Harry Potter series, which will run for at least seven seasons. In theory, each season will correspond with each book in the series.

Lithgow had previously said, “It was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the chapter of my life, I’m afraid. But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter.

“That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party but I’ve said ‘yes’.”

Lithgow last week won an Olivier Award, the highest honour for the British stage, for his work in Giant.

Dumbledore has been played by three actors in the films – Richard Harris in the first two movies, then Michael Gambon after Harris’s death, and Jude Law as a younger Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films.

English actor McTeer was nominated for an Oscar in 1999 for her work in Tumbleweeds and is also known for her work in the likes of Albert Nobbs and The Honourable Woman and in American shows such as Damages, Jessica Jones and Ozark. The late Maggie Smith played the role in the Harry Potter films.

Essiedu, 34, is two decades younger than Alan Rickman was at the start of the Harry Potter films, and his casting confirms earlier reports the TV series will dial the ages of the adult characters back to match the canon of the books. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Snape was 31 years old.

The actor is best known for his role in the acclaimed drama I May Destroy You and has also appeared in Black Doves, Gangs of London, The Lazarus Project and the Saoirse Ronan film The Outrun.

Frost is renowned for his comedic work alongside creative partner Simon Pegg, which included TV series Spaced and the Cornetto Trilogy directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End). He recently provided the voice for a droid in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

All the actors who portrayed Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) in the original Harry Potter films that ran from 2001 to 2011 have since died.

The series is being overseen by writer Francesca Gardiner (Succession, Killing Eve and His Dark Materials) and director Mark Mylod (The Last of Us, Succession and Game of Thrones).

The studio has yet to announce who will play the three leads – Harry, Ron and Hermione. More than 32,000 children auditioned for the life-changing roles.

Filming on the show is due to start mid this year. The series will be available in Australia on Max, the recently launched streaming platform from Warner Bros.