The first photos from the set of HBO's Harry Potter reboot found their way online yesterday, but there's one key detail that you might have missed at first glance.
The Harry Potter books are set between 1991 and 1998, though the movies appear to have taken place at the same time they were filmed: the first decade of the 2000s. Much has been said about HBO's plans for the property, with the biggest concern being that the Wizarding World would either be Americanised or set in the present day.
After all, how better to make a new take on Harry Potter resonate with today's kids than by making the Dursleys one of those annoying TikTok families or for Harry's fellow students to be obsessed with Instagram and influencers? It sounds terrible, we know.
Fortunately, these set photos have confirmed the show will be a "period" piece (we're aware of how old that will make some of you feel) as the costumes spotted on set are clearly all 90s-inspired.
Needless to say, Harry is bound to be a little more wowed by Hogwarts if he hasn't grown up with iPhones and social media!
As of now, all signs point to this being a very faithful adaptation of author J.K. Rowling's books. With more room to adapt those compared to a two-hour feature, we should get to spend more time with characters and plot points that were overlooked on the big screen.
In related news, despite recent reports that the first two seasons of Harry Potter (which adapt The Philosopher's Stone/The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets) will consist of six episodes, we're now hearing that they'll feature eight episodes.
You can take another look at the first Harry Potter set photos in the X posts below.
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, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley.
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, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Joining them will be 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, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling and will feature an exciting and talented cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years.
The series 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.
Harry Potter premieres on HBO in 2027.