John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, while Paapa Essiedu will feature as Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, HBO said on Monday, announcing the cast for the show.

The cast includes Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Luke Thallon will play Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse will play Argus Filch in the show. Both actors will appear as guest stars and will recur throughout the series.

“Wands at the ready, we welcome our staff to Hogwarts. Please welcome 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, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch to the HBO Original Series Harry Potter,” HBO wrote on Instagram.

According to a report by The Guardian, the reboot series is designed to run for over a decade.

The previous projects of showrunner Francesca Gardiner include the popular web series His Dark Materials, Killing Eve and The Rook. Director Mark Mylod is known for directing multiple episodes of Game of Thrones, Shameless and The Affair. He also directed several episodes for The Last of Us Season 2, premiered this year.

Fans have criticised the casting of actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, previously played by Alan Rickman.

The Harry Potter reboot for television, announced in 2021, is described as a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling novel series about the wizarding world.

However, this new version will not show the return of the original trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who played the roles of Harry Potter, Harmione Granger and Ronald Weasley in the movie series.

The first season is reportedly scheduled to premiere in 2026.