HBO this week confirmed that a number of big name stars will appear in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. Janet McTeer, John Lithgow, Nick Frost and Paapa Essiedu are among the big names set to play some of the leading characters in the JK Rowling-created project.

The series was first announced back in 2023, when HBO first launched the new name for its streaming service, Max. It has yet to be officially confirmed that each season will span one novel, similar to Disney+’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, but each book does take place over a single school year, as did the movies.

John Lithgow has said that he’s “very excited” to be joining the upcoming “Harry Potter” series as Albus Dumbledore, brushing off criticism that the role of the wizarding headteacher has been given to an American actor.