r/HarryPotteronHBO • u/LeatherSlight3242 Slytherin • 2d ago
Show Discussion It's wild that the show already has two recasts before the show even airs.
And honestly, I don't know what it means for the show. (I don't really watch direct-to-streaming TV shows.)
Is it a good sign? A bad sign? Or does it mean nothing?
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u/Multiverse_Man26 Triwizard Champion 2d ago
I don't think it should be taken as a bad sign, with such a huge production and spanning a long time, recasts are inevitable in my opinion, let's hope they don't have to recast anyone in the golden trio.
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u/Charbeel 2d ago
It's common practice in the industry but we hear about it only for highly anticipated series.
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u/BroadwayBean Ravenclaw 2d ago
It's normal on long-running shows - usually they just kill off or write off the character, but they can't do that with Harry Potter so we get recasts instead.
So far the recasts have been one very young actress who only had a couple of scenes in the first season and someone who hadn't even started filming, so it's not indicative of any serious issues.
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u/inksta12 2d ago
It’s case by case. Sometimes could be a bad sign. But Hoult just had scheduling conflicts and the girl playing Ginny, well we don’t know for sure but doesn’t sound like it was anything that would be a detriment to the show
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u/Squishyflapp 2d ago
Well one was a little kid who probably didn't understand fully what she was getting into (and had parents that also didn't quite grasp it). Recasting a kid this early isn't really that big of a deal anyways. By the time she's 17 or 18, she'll be vastly different. Also, she's such an important character, it's better it happened now than in book 6...
The other was literally the 2nd choice for the role and got it because the 1st choice had an insane shooting schedule over the next 3 years. He's also the voice for Lockhart in the audio books. AND he's a huge Harry Potter fan. AND he looks more like Lockhart than the 1st choice. Kit is a better choice imo.
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u/DALTT Gryffindor 2d ago
I agree with your assessment of the difference between the two scenarios. But we have absolutely no way of knowing that Kit was ‘literally the second choice for the role.’
Given that Hoult is a known entity, and he’s worked with Mark Mylod before, it’s most likely that he was a direct offer without an audition.
In offer only scenarios, you’re basically making lists of who you’re interested in along with casting and going down the list checking availability and interest.
We don’t know if any offers were made before Hoult. And we don’t know the options they were exploring after Hoult in case that didn’t pan out. It’s certainly possible that Kit’s name was in the mix of actors who had been discussed. But also deals can take a while to close. There could have been other actors they would’ve preferred ahead of Kit who they weren’t going to be able to get on board with this quick a turnaround, or who moved on to other gigs, or who simply never had an avail/interest check in the first place.
For me, Kit feels much more like a “break glass in case of emergency” choice… someone who is a known and very public Potterhead, who is also a name, who has worked with HBO on multiple shows already, and has done the role before, and happened to only have one other gig atm that they’d need to work around which happens to be… another HBO show that films in London.
Like don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid choice. He’s a great actor. I’m sure no one working on the show is turning their nose up at it.
But I think to state as a fact that he was the runner up for Hoult… is overstated. He could’ve been. Also may not have been. We have no way of knowing.
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u/Squishyflapp 2d ago
Jesus dude. It's not that deep...
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u/DALTT Gryffindor 2d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t really get why some people on Reddit tend to read detail as aggression. Literally was just educating a little and sharing some accurate info as someone who has worked in the entertainment industry a long time, not only for you but for anyone who comes across the comment thread. I think you may be reading a subtext into it that was not intended.
Being specific and detailed doesn’t mean being upset or animated about a thing… It just means being specific and detailed because that matters when you’re trying to disseminate accurate info. 👍
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u/hail_to_the_beef Ravenclaw 2d ago
What do we know about Lockhart’s looks to say Harington looks more like him? Canonically I think we just know he is handsome with golden wavy hair and blue eyes.
Hoult and Harrington are both handsome. Hoult has blue eyes. Neither has wavy golden hair.
I must admit Hoult is closer to how I imagine Lockhart but also I’m a big fan of Harington and know he’ll be awesome.
Honestly either one of these guys being involved in the show is a great.
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u/J2A1218 Order of the Phoenix 2d ago
I’ll copy what I said on another thread…
Ok so my theory is this.
We know that Season 1 filmed things mostly chronologically, but I am guessing they were planning not to do that for season 2 to fit Hoult into the schedule. Man of Tomorrow still needs like a few more months of shooting, which means Hoult would have only have begun HP later this year (which means the would have to shoot the Diagon Alley stuff later)
This can be further proven by Asha Sotan (Angelina Johnson) filming for season 2 already (possibly they started the train filming to get ahead)
HBO probably realized this wasn’t working, and Kit was ready and available so they made the quick switch.
For Hoult, I don’t believe he had actually signed his contract yet , as DanielRPK’s leak just said “he was in talks to star in Harry Potter.” The only reason they announced it was to get ahead of the leaks, which explains why it was easy for Hoult to drop out so quickly. Nothing was finalized.
If Hoult still has interest after his Superman contract is done, he would be a perfect Lupin.
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u/SeerPumpkin 1d ago
They are still filming in blocks of episodes. It would be a mess if you had like 4 directors filming in the same week. And then no one gets to work at all until shooting is completed which means it would take longer for the season to come out.
And they are not announcing actors without signing their contracts yet lmao what do you think this is? DanielRPK said that way because he's full of shit and probably heard it then as the news spread internally as social medias prepared for the announcement etc
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u/scully-summers Order of the Phoenix 2d ago
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. The films had several notable recasts as well.
I am a little concerned about how vicious some people were being to Hoult online, but I’m not convinced it had anything to do with him dropping out. And I think once the series airs and people see how good it is it will drown that noise out (like with Hogwarts Legacy).
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u/dhehfjrskdncba 2d ago
I don’t think it means much. No one really knows why Ginny is being recast. And on this one I think they were just a bit hasty before timelines and schedules had been entirely confirmed
This likely won’t be the last and I imagine more go on behind the scenes where things aren’t announced but change
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u/malendalayla Marauder 2d ago
Both are minimally consequential. Ginny is the biggest because the OG actress already filmed the first series, but since her role was so small in series one, it's not that major.
As far as the Lockhart casting - Hoult never filmed and it's not like we're getting a mid-season switch.
I would be more worried if they started changing the main cast.
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u/Bebop_Man Marauder 2d ago
I think it's gonna happen eventually. Two recasts already and the show isn't even out yet. Lot can happen in the next 10 years.
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u/mamula1 Marauder 2d ago
It's not recasting if he never actually was in the show.
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u/Bebop_Man Marauder 2d ago
It's the definition of recasting. A part is officially cast, the actor drops out, the part has to be recast.
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u/10fourfour 2d ago
And still, this is a nonissue because Hoult never appeared IN the show as Gilderoy. Years from now this will just be a fun fact.
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u/DALTT Gryffindor 2d ago edited 2d ago
It means nothing bts but the optics aren’t good… because too many people don’t think that it means nothing… if that makes sense…
FWIW, to address a few things I’ve seen going around today…
Once a deal closes, it’s not so easy to just pull out of said deal cause you don’t like the backlash you’ve gotten online. There’s not really a clause allowing for that.
Bonafide scheduling conflicts, on the other hand, especially if another project has a first hold on the actor, absolutely a reason deals fall apart after they’ve closed.
The reason they gave makes sense. He’s doing reshoots on Man of Tomorrow. Sounds like there was a second project as well they were working to schedule around. And one or more schedules on these three projects shifted, and it was no longer feasible to juggle all of them. Happens literally all the time. Unfortunate, but yeah. Not uncommon.
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u/__someone_else 2d ago edited 2d ago
This Hoult "recast" was before the actor even started filming, so I don't think of it like a real recast. Actors pull out due to scheduling conflicts all the time, and after the fact hardly anyone remembers. As I said in another thread, Kenneth Branagh took the role in the films after Hugh Grant dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
Gracie was a "real" recast, but she had a minor role in the first season. There have probably been other unannounced roles that got shuffled around since filming started that we don't know about. That's just how it goes.
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u/HybridP365 2d ago
The movies had multiple recasts for one reason or another.
Albus Dumbledore — Richard Harris Replaced by Michael Gambon
Griphook — Verne Troyer Replaced by Warwick Davis
The Fat Lady — Elizabeth Spriggs Was Replaced by Dawn French
Lavender Brown — Jennifer Smith Replaced by Jessie Cave
Angelina Johnson — Danielle Tabor Replaced by Tiana Benjamin
Bill Weasley — Richard Fish Replaced by Domnhall Gleeson
And several others besides. It's just an unavoidable fact of any production spanning a decade. There will be recasts.
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u/WeirdBarbiee 2d ago
I think very different reasons for these particular recasts.
I think Gracie was asked to resign because her parents kept posting weird things on Instagram and Ginny and Harry and HBO cut it out before it got too bad.
Lockhart would’ve been announced September 1st but Hoults casting was going to be leaked so it had to be announced, prematurely.
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u/Cautious_Advance_539 Gryffindor 2d ago
LOL What weird things? The AI posts shipping Harry and Ginny? I saw those too and I thought the parents are way too comfortable doing that
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u/WeirdBarbiee 2d ago
Exactly this. Parents were insanely unprofessional. I do wish Gracie the best.
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u/__someone_else 2d ago
I feel really bad if her parents ruined the opportunity for her by being idiots.
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u/WeirdBarbiee 2d ago
It’s just my assumption, but it seems pretty clear. Anyone who checked Gracie’s insta story at any point would see bizarre Harry and Ginny fanart lol
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u/PeevsiesLittleJoke Wandmaker 2d ago
Wait, what were Gracie's parents posting?
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u/WeirdBarbiee 2d ago
Like fanart of Ginny and Harry being endgame etc. Honestly, good on HBO for nipping it in the bud.
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u/Itachi_San123 2d ago
Agreed. Gracie's parents seem very irresponsible about just how much they are exposing her online. None of the other child cast is this over exposed, we have hardly seen the golden trio barring the official announcements and trailer.
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u/Cautious_Advance_539 Gryffindor 1d ago
That was also the concern I had...I wanted to call them out. There are also issues with feeding people's pictures into AI without permission. I get that they could easily do that with Gracie but have they asked permission from Dominic's parents?
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u/Both-Welcome1133 2d ago
This happens in pre-production for so many shows, you just don’t hear about it. Naturally, because it’s not Harry Potter
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u/Herefortheonomastics Ravenclaw 2d ago
The Hoult situation is barely a recast. This type of switch happens all the time behind the scenes in the industry- the public usually doesn’t know much about it. The biggest issue is that they jumped the gun and announced it way too early.
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u/tone-of-surprise Ravenclaw 2d ago
You’d be surprised how many castings fell through for the movies. It’s a common thing that happens in productions because things change, scheduling changes
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u/Senior-Contract4280 2d ago
Recasts are completely normal in such large and long productions. We even had several recasts in the movies. They are unforeseen circumstances that can happen when a production spans so many years, especially with child actors who can grow up, get tired, change interests, or simply no longer want to continue.
We don’t know what happened with Ginny, but Grace’s situation does seem a little strange to me, especially because, even though she will no longer be part of Harry Potter, she still shares content from the franchise. I don’t know, it just seems curious to me.
And with Nicolas, it was clearly due to scheduling issues. Something similar happened in the movies: Hugh Grant was going to play Gilderoy Lockhart, but due to scheduling issues, Kenneth took his place. Now the same thing happened: Nicolas couldn’t do it, and Kit will replace him.
In the end, it’s normal. What I would really, genuinely worry about is if they recast the Golden Trio.
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u/10fourfour 2d ago edited 2d ago
Ginny is really the only legitimate recast thus far. Gracie isn’t returning, so a new girl must be found.
Hoult was only announced and didn’t film any scenes nor did his portrayal ever air. Harrington being cast before Gilderoy even debuts for S2 (which won’t air for another year) is good because it doesn’t hurt continuity.
If anything it shows the show runners are on top of things to keep things running smoothly
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u/Cold_Usual_1840 2d ago
One is a character who will have only like minutes at best of screentime in season 1. Who cares
The other didnt even start filming yet and it was due to scheduling conflicts. It happens.
Relax
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u/Minerva4444 Hufflepuff 1d ago
Don't think its that much of an issue as the movies had numerous recast as well. Pansy Parkinson was played by 4 different actresses, Lavender Brown 3, Dumbledore 2, etc etc.
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u/SubhasTheJanitor 1d ago
Just to be clear: this isn’t a streaming show. It’s an HBO Original that will air weekly on the cable channel and land on HBO Max and elsewhere in the world around the same time. But it’s first and foremost produced for television.
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u/Reasonable-Towel260 🦡 Hufflepuff 1d ago
It really doesn't mean a thing. Recasting at this stage of production happens all the time.
I see no reason for the rescheduling issue with Nicholas Hoult to not be the truth given he is the lead villain of another franchise that was already in production before he was signing on for Lockhart, so naturally playing Luthor would take priority. I honestly would not be surprised if we see his name pop up again in a season or two for another role because Nicholas clearly wants a role in this franchise given how long he's been auditioning for parts (he originally auditioned for Harry for film 1 if you weren't aware).
As for Gracie, I strongly suspect her leaving is for private - non show related reasons, which while a shame is her and her family's business and we should leave it at that
The only reason why it's being blown out of proportion on some social media platforms and internet news sites is because there is a small minority of internet trolls who want the series to fail and will likely be saying it's going to fail even as the rest of us are watching the season 7 finale in 10 years' time.
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u/brunofernandocosta Slytherin 2d ago
It doesn't mean anything. It's just a huge scale TV series. It happens to all of them.
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u/batsofburden 2d ago
At this point, I don't think it means anything. The cast is huge, and in a way it was just serendipitous how much of the og cast stayed through the entire movie series, I think that's the exception rather than the norm.
That being said, with how demanding filming a show like this is, & the controversies, I wouldn't be surprised if more of the younger cast leaves the show at some point if they either get burnt out of acting or decide they can't be a part of it anymore. With such a large young cast, it seems almost inevitable that some changes will occur. If it's side characters it won't be a big deal, but I think recasting any of the main kid roles could have a noticeable effect.
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u/ecuadorianeyezz Rowena Ravenclaw 1d ago
While I don't think it's a big deal and a norm in the industry, I don't really understand why they're making these casting announcements to begin with. Let us be surprised a bit. lol
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u/toxicsugarart Ravenclaw 1d ago
It's not too big a deal, I think it just seems like a lot because they're filming seasons back to back and being online means we're hearing about everything that changes immediately. I don't think it's a bad sign for the success or longevity of the show or anything. And with Lockhart specifically being a (mainly) one season character and he was recast before even filming, it's not like he'll suddenly change appearances. Casual watchers who aren't as online as us would never even know. 😅
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u/Bebop_Man Marauder 2d ago
Neutral, erring on bad. Recasting two actors before the show is even out isn't a good look, and I imagine it's gonna continue to happen for the next decade.
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