HBO releases 1st trailer for new TV series, set to premiere this Christmas

Wands at the ready! Something magical has manifested in the wizarding world. HBO just dropped an official trailer for its highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series, giving a glimpse of Hogwarts reborn for the small screen.

The series will reimagine J.K. Rowling’s seven fantasy novels, with each season covering one of them. The first season, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is scheduled to premiere at Christmas time this year. The first season of the HBO series is notably named after the worldwide release title of the first book and film, which differs from the U.S.-released title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

The trailer opens with a young Harry Potter (Dominic McLaughlin) being told by his Aunt Petunia Dursley (Bel Powley), “You are a normal boy, and you’re going to start acting like one,” with a montage of scenes of Harry being shoved in a closet and bullied at school. “You think you’re something special?” his aunt asks of him. “There is nothing special about you,” the voiceover echoes as he receives a letter of admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

We then see Harry talking with Rubeus Hagrid (Nick Frost) about his parents. “They were funny and clever and they stood up for what they believed was right,” Hagrid tells Harry, adding that the next time he’ll see him will be at Hogwarts.

The trailer then takes us through Harry’s journey to Hogwarts, opening up a hidden world of fun, friendship and magic. “Are you really Harry Potter?” Ron Weasley (Alastair Stout) asks on the train with Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton) by his side. Harry replies with a nod and a smile.

McLaughlin, 11, inherited the role of Harry Potter from Daniel Radcliffe, while Stanton and Stout take over the roles of Hermione and Ron played by Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in the films. Other characters who have been cast include: Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall. While rumors have been swirling about who will play Voldemort, HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys told Variety in an article published Tuesday that they have not yet found He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Paapa Essiedu, a Ghanian-English actor who has been cast as Severus Snape, a role made famous by the late Alan Rickman, has faced some severe reactions, including racist insults and disturbing hate messages. “I’ve been told, ‘Quit, or I’ll murder you,'” Essiedu told the Times in a recent interview.

“The reality is that if I look at Instagram, I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you,'” he continued. “While I hope I’ll be okay, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job.”

Bloys isn’t taking any chances and has a “serious security team” in place. “With all actors on any kind of big IP shows — and this is obviously one of those where you’ve got, you know, passionate fans, people with a lot of opinions — it can get scary in places,” Bloys told Variety.

“So for any show like that, we anticipated it and tried to have training, you know, best practices in terms of social media and how to handle it,” he said, “and obviously we’ve got a serious security team. So unfortunately, it was something that we thought might happen and we just try to be as careful as we can.”

Additional HBO talent is joining the Harry Potter series, including Succession writer Francesca Gardiner, who is the series showrunner, and Game of Thrones veteran Mark Mylod, who is directing several episodes.

As a lead-up to the trailer drop, HBO shared an official first look on Tuesday of the young Harry (McLaughlin) dressed in Gryffindor Quidditch robes, with his broomstick in tow, as he walked toward fellow students. The back of the robe says “Potter” on it, adorned with the number 7.

The books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, while the eight-movie franchise has grossed more than $7 billion.