Summary
HBO’sHarry Potterseries has gotten everyone talking as fans are curious about how the magical story will translate to the small screen. Nowthe actors playing the memorable Dursleys have been cast, and fans have some strong opinions.
In recent weeks, there have been severalHarry Pottercasting announcements.Nick Frost is playing Hagrid, Harry Potter’s beloved mentor and friend.The three main actors have also been shared:Alastair Stout, Arbella Stanton, and Dominic McLaughlin are portraying Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. While the series premiere is still fairly far away, the series is beginning to take more concrete shape, and audiences are eager to see how the TV show differs from the popular movies.
The Harry Potter HBO Series Has Cast Vernon And Petunia Dursley, And This Is Why Fans Are Excited
Varietyreported thatDaniel Rigby and Bel Powley have been cast as Vernon and Petunia Dursley,Harry Potter’s uncle and aunt whom he lives withbefore he begins attending Hogwarts. As noted byVariety, Rigby is starring in theAmazon Prime Video seriesBlade Runner 2099, Powley starred in AppleTV+‘sThe Morning Showand several movies includingThe King of Staten Island.
Fans of the magical franchise are happy about this casting announcement becauseRigby and Powley are the right ages.Redditor @CampDifficult7887wrote:
“I’m here for book age accurate adults!”
Redditor @sean_psc added:
“This is actually in line with the ages of the book characters. Harry’s parents’ generation all got aged up in the films.”
Several more fans discussed this casting in anotherReddit thread. Redditor @hazelspalace wrote:
“I think these new castings look great! The adults are age accurate to the book which is a nice change.”
Redditor @capncrunch1138 added, “Im so hyped that they’re casting younger actors for the adults.”
Since audiences are used to older actors portraying younger characters, it’s perhaps surprising that fans are talking about the ages of the actors who are taking on the mean and unforgettable Dursleys. It’s become common to see twentysomething or even, sometimes, thirtysomethings portraying teenagers. However,fans hope that HBO’sHarry Potterfollows the book series as closely as possible since so many people grew up reading Harry’s coming-of-age tale. Fans would also beglad if some of theHarry Pottermovie franchise actors joined the HBO series, although that might not end up happening.
Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, and Harry Melling played Vernon, Petunia, and their miserable and cruel son Dudley Dursleyin the beloved film franchise. All three are talented stars who have appeared in many other high-profile projects. The late Griffiths was a beloved stage actor known forThe History Boysbut starred in several movies includingSleepy Hollow,and Melling has several TV credits to his name includingThe Queen’s GambitandHis Dark Materials. Shaw has starred onAndor,Bad Sisters,True Detective: Night Country, andKilling Eve. As the Dursleys are muggles and Harry, of course, learns he’s a wizard, his dynamic with his family members is always fascinating. Althoughthe Dursleys don’t appear in everyHarry Pottermovie, they’re some of the most important characters in the franchise. It will be interesting to see how often they appear on the TV series.
Several otherHarry PotterHBO series cast members have been added recently. Bertie Carvel is playing Cornelius Fudge, Sienna Moosah is Lavender Brown, Leo Earley is playing Seamus Finnigan, andKatherine Parkinson is playing Ron’s charming sister Molly Weasley, who isan underratedHarry Pottercharacter. Fans highly anticipated who would take onHarry’s enemy Draco Malfoy, andLox Pratt has been cast in this notable role. Other actors include Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy.
A few weeks ago,Deadlinereported thatHarry Potterwill premiere on HBO in 2026, and the series will shoot in the summer of 2025.
