HOGWARTS IRL

HBO’s New Harry Potter Show Is Building School for Child Actors

The new series aims to keep child actors educated amidst filming for the next 8 to 10 years.

HBO is building a real school for the young cast of its new Harry Potter series. Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the studio hosting the series’ production, received permission from the nearby Three Rivers District Council to use portable buildings as classrooms for up to 10 years. While the facility can host up to 600 students, the classrooms will most likely serve approximately 150 students at a time. Unlike traditional schools, the studio will operate its educational programs between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on weekdays in order to grant the cast flexibility in between shoots and location-specific films. The highly anticipated show drew 32,000 child actor auditions during an open casting call, but it was 11-year-old newcomer Dominic McLaughlin who landed the eponymous role. Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton will co-star as Hermione Granger. The series announced that it began production on Monday, July 15, and is set to be released in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.