EXCLUSIVE: J.K. Rowling has today made her first visit to the set of HBO‘s Harry Potter series.
Sources tell Deadline that the author inspected progress on the adaptation of her beloved fantasy franchise, which has been filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and on location in the UK.
One person joked that it was like receiving a royal visit, with senior members of the production team clearing space in their diaries to welcome Rowling. HBO declined to comment.
Rowling serves as an executive producer on the Harry Potter series, and has contributed to writing and casting decisions on the show, which went into production over the summer.
In June, Rowling said she had “worked closely with the extremely talented writers” on Harry Potter, not least showrunner Francesca Gardiner.
“I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series and they are SO, SO, SO GOOD,” she declared at the time.
When the series was first announced in 2023, Rowling praised HBO’s “commitment to preserving the integrity of my books,” adding: “I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation, which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.”
Rowling’s views on transgender rights have been part of the discussion around the series, with HBO’s Casey Bloys standing four-square behind its partnership with the author.
Rowling herself has been clear that she has not allowed politics to interfere with casting decisions after Paapa Essiedu, who will play Severus Snape on the HBO series, voiced support for trans rights.
“I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine,” Rowling said on X/Twitter.
Filming has been ongoing for months on the Harry Potter series, which will star Dominic McLaughlin as the titular Hogwarts wizard. Alastair Stout will play Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton will round out the trio of heroes as bookworm Hermione Granger.
Other cast includes Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall. Gardiner and Mark Mylod write and direct respectively.
