Jonathan Millar 
Anil Krishna 
James Oconner 
Hogwarts Magic Returns in the First Teaser Trailer for HBO Max’s Harry Potter Series
© HBO
Hogwarts is getting ready to welcome a new generation of students. HBO Max has released the first teaser trailer for its new Harry Potter series, giving fans their first real look at this latest version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There was always going to be a lot of pressure on this show, considering how familiar the original movies are to so many people, but the trailer is clearly trying to make Hogwarts feel magical again without simply copying what came before.
There are still about four months to go before Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone arrives on the streaming service, so this teaser is really just a first taste of what’s coming. Still, there’s plenty here for longtime fans to pick apart. The footage follows Harry, Ron and Hermione as they make their way to Hogwarts and go through the Sorting Ceremony, where all three end up in Gryffindor. From there, we get glimpses of their early days at the school, including magic lessons, new friendships and Quidditch matches, along with several of the familiar faces fans already know.
And yes, the big Hogwarts names are all here. Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall and Hagrid all appear in the trailer, while the story also brings back some of the objects that are practically impossible to separate from the first book. The Philosopher’s Stone gets a few nods, as do the Invisibility Cloak and the Mirror of Erised. For people who have read the book or watched the original movie more times than they would probably admit, spotting these little details should be part of the fun.
Who Is Behind the New Harry Potter Series?
Francesca Gardiner is serving as showrunner and lead writer, with Mark Mylod directing episodes of the series. J.K. Rowling, who wrote the original books, is executive producing alongside Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts and David Heyman, who was also one of the key producers behind the original Harry Potter film franchise.
The new cast is led by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. Nick Frost takes over the role of Rubeus Hagrid, while John Lithgow plays Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer is Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu portrays Severus Snape. Luke Thallon plays Quirinus Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse is Garrick Ollivander, and the Malfoy family is represented by Lox Pratt as Draco and Johnny Flynn as Lucius.
Away from Hogwarts, Daniel Rigby plays Vernon Dursley and Bel Powley plays Petunia Dursley. There’s also a particularly nice connection to the original movies, with Warwick Davis returning as Professor Filius Flitwick. That should be a fun bit of continuity for fans who have been following the franchise since the beginning.
The supporting cast includes Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley and Lambert Wilson as Nicolas Flamel.
For now, HBO Max is keeping most of the bigger story details under wraps, which is probably the right move. There are plenty of moments in the first Harry Potter story that work better when you aren’t shown everything beforehand. But the teaser does give fans a decent idea of the approach: familiar characters, familiar locations and a story everyone knows, only this time with more room to actually live inside the world of Hogwarts.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres on HBO Max this Christmas 2026.
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