Harry Potter Officially Returns in 2 Months: HBO’s New Series Sets Christmas Debut
A Christmas Day Premiere
The series is set to arrive on Christmas Day, December 25, 2026. It will air on HBO and stream through HBO Max, including for viewers in the United Kingdom.
The first season will tell the story of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone over eight episodes. That format gives the adaptation more time to develop its characters, relationships and magical events than a film-length telling would allow.
Harry’s First Year At Hogwarts
Harry is 11 and has been raised by the Dursleys after his parents died when he was a baby. His circumstances change when a letter offers him a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
At the school, Harry finds friends and encounters the customs and challenges of the wizarding world, from wizard chess to discovering his wider significance. The series adapts the novel that introduced those characters and their world.
The Cast And Creative Team
Dominic McLaughlin plays Harry, Arabella Stanton plays Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout plays Ron Weasley. The adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Lox Pratt is cast as Draco Malfoy. Francesca Gardiner is the showrunner, Mark Mylod will direct multiple episodes, and J.K. Rowling and David Heyman are executive producers.
Key points
- The series is scheduled to premiere on December 25, 2026.
- Its first season adapts Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone across eight episodes.
- Dominic McLaughlin stars as Harry, with Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Hermione and Ron.