HBO’s Harry Potter Series Casts Nearly Headless Nick, The Sorting Hat And More Hogwarts Residents

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Hogwarts is getting a little more crowded, although some of its newest residents have technically been dead for centuries! HBO has announced five more cast members for ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone‘, revealing who will be playing some of the school’s most memorable ghosts, its famously temperamental portrait, and the magical hat responsible for deciding where everyone belongs.

Leading the new additions is Leo Bill (Taboo, Alice in Wonderland), who will play Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, better known to Hogwarts students as Nearly Headless Nick. The friendly Gryffindor house ghost was memorably portrayed by John Cleese in the original films, and is one of the first supernatural residents Harry encounters when he arrives at the school.

Joining him is Andrew Brooke (The Agency, Andor) as the Bloody Baron, the rather more intimidating ghost of Slytherin House. With his bloodstained robes, rattling chains and generally terrifying demeanour, he’s not exactly the sort of person you’d want floating through your bedroom in the middle of the night. He also happens to be one of the few Hogwarts residents capable of keeping the troublesome poltergeist Peeves under control.

Representing Hufflepuff is Daniel Fearn (Things You Should Have Done, Man vs Bee), who takes on the role of the Fat Friar. Thankfully, he’s a much friendlier ghost than the Bloody Baron, known for his cheerful personality and welcoming attitude towards students.

The school’s famous moving portraits are also getting some attention, with comedian and actress Laura Smyth (Baby Reindeer, Live at the Apollo) cast as the Fat Lady. Guarding the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, she’s responsible for ensuring only those who know the correct password can enter the common room. The character was originally portrayed by Elizabeth Spriggs in the first film, before Dawn French took over in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

And finally, perhaps the most interesting casting of the bunch, David Threlfall (Shameless, Nightsleeper) will provide the voice of the Sorting Hat. Previously voiced by the late Leslie Phillips in the films, the enchanted hat is responsible for assigning Hogwarts’ new students to their houses. Given Threlfall’s wonderfully distinctive voice, it’ll be fascinating to hear his interpretation of one of the wizarding world’s most iconic magical objects. Although, anyone familiar with Frank Gallagher from Shameless might find the idea of him deciding which children belong in Gryffindor particularly entertaining!

These latest additions continue to build out the enormous ensemble for HBO’s adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books. The series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, alongside John Lithgow (The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (Ozark) as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid.

The announcement also follows the recent casting of Harry Gilby (The Last Kingdom) as Charlie Weasley, Jasper Talbot as James Potter and Hannah Chinn as Lily Potter, as HBO continues filling out both the living and the not-so-living inhabitants of its magical world.

One particularly interesting aspect of the new series is the opportunity to explore Hogwarts in greater detail than the original films could manage. While characters such as Nearly Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron appeared on the big screen, many of the castle’s ghostly inhabitants received relatively little attention. With the first season spanning eight episodes, there’s potentially more room to give these characters their own personalities and moments to shine.

The series is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials), with Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones) executive producing and directing multiple episodes. J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, David Heyman, Laura Neal and Jon Brown also serve as executive producers.

‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone‘ Season 1 premieres Christmas 2026 on HBO Max UK, and on HBO and HBO Max in the US. An exact premiere date has yet to be confirmed.

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