It has been widely reported that each season of the Harry Potter reboot will consist of 8 episodes, meaning HBO can expand the Wizarding World in a way the movies didn't have room to.
Many scenes and characters that were left on the cutting room floor out of necessity can now be adapted, and one of those has seemingly been spotted after production moved to Skipton in North Yorkshire, England.
A wizard has been spotted on the roof of his house, waving his wand around in a celebratory manner. As for what's happening here, we can once again look to the books—Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in this instance—for answers.
"Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. 'Oh yes, everyone’s celebrating, all right,' she said impatiently. 'You’d think they’d be a bit more careful, but no – even the Muggles have noticed something’s going on. It was on their news.'"
"She jerked her head back at the Dursleys’ dark living-room window. 'I heard it. Flocks of owls ... shooting stars ... Well, they’re not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I’ll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.'"
Could this be our first look at Dedalus Diggle? We'd bet on it just being a random wizard who is having a little too much fun celebrating Lord Voldemort's apparent demise, but there's another big talking point from these latest set photos.
The wand this wizard is using looks like a twig; that's a far less elaborate design than many of the wands we saw in the Harry Potter movies, and could be our first look at another significant way this series will differ from those.
Some fans have suggested that this, seemingly, being a "working-class" wizard, could explain why his wand is a little more basic. If so, then it adds an interesting wrinkle to the franchise and shows that a lot of thought is being put into the different types of witches and wizards out there.
Check out this latest look at HBO's Harry Potter in the X posts below (via SFFGazette.com).
Dominic McLaughlin has been cast in the role of Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Joining them will be Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley, Gabriel Harland as George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Finn Stephens as Vincent Crabbe, and William Nash as Gregory Goyle.
Harry Potter's adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Sirine Saba as Pomona Sprout, Richard Durden as Cuthbert Binns, Bríd Brennan as Madam Poppy Pomfrey, and Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick.
The series will also feature Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, and Leigh Gill as Griphook.
Harry Potter is written and executive-produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
HBO's Harry Potter TV series premieres in 2027.