The new “Harry Potter” series trailer is here – we compare Harry, Hermione, Snape and Hagrid with the movies. What has changed, what has stayed the same?
What will be different, what will stay the same? The trailer for the new “Harry Potter” series was released on March 25th. Fans can now get a first look at the new set and the new cast. The show is set to cover all seven books in seven seasons – and Hogwarts fans are excited to see how this will be implemented. After all, there is already a film adaptation of the magician books.
The films, which were produced from 2001 to 2011, are among the most famous book adaptations of all time. The bar for the new series is therefore correspondingly high. Behind the “Harry Potter” universe there is an entire fan base that does not want to let the world around the Hogwarts magic school be destroyed.
The trailer
Now the first trailer is here – and it’s already pretty detailed. Starting with Harry’s life with the Dursleys, through his first encounters with Hagrid, to his first Quidditch game. The series will go into much more detail and translate even more of the books’ content into images.
It is now also possible to take a look at the characters. The cast was announced some time ago and sparked some controversy. Below is an overview of the new actors and what distinguishes the popular wizards and witches in the trailer from their original portrayals from the films.
Harry Potter
The main character will once again be Harry Potter. This time “The Boy Who Lived” is played by Dominic McLaughlin. Apart from his facial features, there is little that distinguishes the new Harry from the old one: the same round glasses, black, tousled hair and of course the lightning bolt scar.
Ron Weasley
Not much has changed with Ron either. A little red-haired boy with red cheeks, worn clothes and a big grin on his face.
Hermione Granger
The new Hermione actress Arabella Stouton has already enchanted fans. When the casting of the three main characters was announced in July 2025, their application video was released at the same time. What you can see on it: The new Hermione is just as snarky, cheeky and clever as the film version. Her appearance in the trailer is reminiscent of the original book – dark brown, disheveled, bushy hair. She is definitely following in Emma Watson’s footsteps. The series will also shed more light on Hermione’s past and family.
Draco Malfoy
Harry’s antagonist Draco Malfoy also has a new cast – albeit with less gel in his hair. The hairstyle still fits perfectly, just styled into a small quiff. However, the new cast, Lox Pratt, masters the snooty look of the Slytherin student wonderfully.
Hagrid
The half-giant Hagrid can also be seen in the trailer rescuing Harry from the Dursleys. Like his predecessor Robbie Coltrane, the new Hagrid actor Nick Frost wears a long brown coat. He hasn’t lost any of his height: in the trailer, the half-giant towers twice over Harry. The long, matted beard was also allowed to stay. In pictures from the set you can also see that he carries his magic wand hidden in a pink umbrella – true to the book’s original.
Professor Snape
Actor Paapa Essiedu will now play the role. The black actor has received massive hatred since the cast was announced, including death threats – solely because he is a person of color. Although Snape is described in the books as a pale man with a hooked nose and greasy black hair, Essiedu fits the role very well.
Editorial recommendations
The online hate against him is mainly due to racist motives: Apparently there are fans whose world view does not fit a black man as Snape. Essiedu cuts an excellent figure in the role – and is even ahead of his predecessor Alan Rickman: He is the right age. In the “Harry Potter” books, Snape is only in his early 30s – like Essiedu. Rickman was already 55 years old when filming began and was therefore clearly too old for the role. Of course, the actor, who died in 2016, shaped the character, as did the other actors in the film cast. However, the hatred against the new appointment is completely unjustified.
Professor Dumbledore
On the other hand, who hasn’t changed a bit is good old Dumbledore. Long white beard, half-moon glasses and hat. But nothing more can be gleaned from the short clip and photos.
Professor McGonagall
McGonagall is also only shown briefly in the trailer. Apart from a new, slightly more pointed model of glasses and a differently cut hat, it hardly differs from its original film. Her stern expression is also reminiscent of Maggie Smith’s portrayal.
The Dursleys
What is particularly noteworthy is that Harry’s time with the Dursleys is given a little more space in the series. The trailer shows a brief glimpse of Aunt Petunia cutting Harry’s hair. Her appearance in the series seems almost friendly – but she quickly makes up for this with her behavior. Cousin Dudley also makes an appearance: he can already be seen bullying Harry in the school toilet. Described in the books as a chubby, spoiled boy, in the series he also looks as if he would love to cause Harry trouble – albeit a little slimmer than in the book.
Professor Flitwick
The professor of magic remains as he is: actor Warwick Davis takes on the role of Flitwick again. This makes him the only character with an identical cast as in the films.
The set
Overall, the set of the new series is very similar to that of the films. The platform where the Hogwarts Express arrives, the train compartments, the entrance hall, the changing stairwells as well as the Gothic hallways and archways in the castle – the entire set exudes the same atmosphere as the film adaptations before. That’s not surprising: The new series will be shot largely at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden near London – the same place where the films were made.
Although the show has often been described and marketed as different from the films, it is likely to convey the same feeling as the original films and books and transport its audience to a magical world. The series starts earlier than initially expected, as early as Christmas 2026. In Germany it will be shown on the streaming service HBO Max.
