Potterheads finally have their best look yet at Hogwarts. HBO released a new trailer for its Harry Potter TV series on Wednesday, and this one is packed with the moments fans have been waiting to see, from the Sorting Hat ceremony to a first proper flight on a Quidditch broom. It also confirmed the show is heading straight for a Christmas premiere.
What the new trailer reveals
The extended look walks through the trio’s first year at Hogwarts. Viewers see Harry, Ron and Hermione arriving at the school and going through the sorting ceremony, where they are all placed in Gryffindor, and meeting the staff, from Dumbledore and Snape to McGonagall and Hagrid. There are glimpses of Quidditch practice, the Invisibility Cloak, the Mirror of Erised and even the mountain troll in the bathroom, all rendered in a fresh cinematic style rather than a retread of the films.
It is the second official trailer for the series, following a first look back in March that introduced the look of the young cast. This one goes considerably further in showing the world readers and viewers know by heart.
The young cast leading the reboot
HBO’s version is built around brand-new actors in the three lead roles, all chosen from a wide search among British child actors:
- Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
- Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley
- Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger
Around them, the adult cast is stacked with recognizable names. John Lithgow plays Albus Dumbledore, with Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy. The series is led by writer Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both veterans of Succession.
Seven books, seven seasons
This is a long-haul adaptation. HBO is adapting all seven of J.K. Rowling’s books into seven seasons, with the first eight-episode season covering Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The show picked up an early second-season renewal back in May, which will follow The Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling is attached in an advisory capacity as an executive producer, though she has kept a lower public profile around the series.
When does it premiere?
The series premieres on Christmas Day on HBO. For Filipino viewers, that timing has made the wait a little easier to sit through, especially after a long stretch of casting and production news. It has been a busy run of updates on the show lately, from Kit Harington stepping in as Gilderoy Lockhart to Ralph Fiennes bowing out of any Voldemort return. Now there is finally moving footage to argue about.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, premieres Christmas Day 2026 on HBO and Max.
