HBO's long-awaited Harry Potter TV series has officially started production at Warner Bros. studios, almost 14 years to the day after the movie franchise concluded.
The start of production comes just a few months after the show debuted the three young actors who'll lead HBO's adaptation, led by 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin, who has been cast as Harry Potter.
McLaughlin is joined by West End star Arabella Stanton,11, as Hermione Granger, and fellow youngster Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
The fresh-faced trio were picked from over 30,000 children who attended open auditions last autumn in a bid to snatch the iconic roles - and they weren't the only actors unveiled before filming commenced
HBO has also been teasing details for other supporting roles, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall.
On Monday, HBO released a first-look image of McLaughlin donning Potter's infamous metal round glasses, dressed in Gryffindor robes, holding a clapperboard to commemorate the first day of filming ahead of its 2027 release.
The photo, however, has prompted a mixed reaction from fans. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, flocked to comment on just how young the child star looks, with mounting concerns he won't do the role justice in comparison to his predecessor, Daniel Radcliffe.
"Why does he look like a baby?" one user said, while another chimed in with: "Cancel this! Wtf he looks like a baby."
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|Dominic McLaughlin in brand new image as Harry Potter
Another even posted a photo of Radcliffe in the original depiction of a young Potter, with the caption: "You will NEVER be him. No shade."
Despite the overwhelming reservations, some fans have spoken out in support of McLaughlin, noting that the trio start school in year 7 and the child actor's age is appropriate for the school year.
One fan even threw shade at Netflix's globally popular Stranger Things franchise in defense of McLaughlin, saying: "Makes sense for the actor to be this young.
"He'll age properly along with the production. We don't want another Stranger Things dissonance," they added, referring to the Netflix cast appearing too old to accurately play high schoolers.
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|Dominic McLaughlin is joined by Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout in the Harry Potter cast
The show has already drawn large amounts of controversy, in particular due to the announcement that Matilda star Stanton will be playing Hermione following Watson's stint in the role.
There was also dismay among some of the fandom following the news that Essiedu will play Severus Snape.
While the series has been billed as a "faithful adaptation" of Rowling's books, some critics claim Stanton and Essiedu's appointments veer too far from the characters' original depictions.
The discourse adds to mounting concern online that the children will be subjected to hate from die-hard fans of the franchise, with increasing fears for their well-being.
Stanton has since turned off comments on her Instagram profile, after it was flooded with vitriol from online trolls following the initial cast announcement.
However, the golden trio has received overwhelming support from the original cast, including Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort, stating he was "very excited to watch as an audience member".
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner, and executive producer and director Mark Mylod said in a statement that: "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen".
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|Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint pictured as the original Harry Potter cast
The show will stream exclusively on HBO Max globally, with plans to adapt all seven Harry Potter books across multiple seasons, with each book making up an entire season.
It's expected to be in production for 10 years, concluding in 2035.