Nick Frost is reportedly poised to play the half-giant Rebeus Hagrid in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, becoming the latest high-profile actor to join the show.
So far only John Lithgow has been confirmed as a cast member, playing Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, while Paapa Essiedu and Janet McTeer are both rumoured to be close to landing the roles of Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall.
Deadline is now reporting that Frost, best known for his roles alongside Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, is on the verge of agreeing a deal to play Hagrid.
Frost appears to have sparked the rumours himself following a cryptic Instagram post he shared on 20 March. The actor wrote: “It’s happening, it’s actually happening. Stay cool.”
In a statement to Deadline, HBO said: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals.”
It comes after Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein was rumoured for the role in December.
Robbie Coltrane famously played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films. The Scottish actor died aged 72 in October 2022.
HBO and Warner Bros are behind the new project, which, in their own words, is “drawing a lot of rumour and speculation” about who will play the show’s primary characters.
The new series will be another direct adaptation of JK Rowling’s book franchise, with each book comprising one season. This means that a new batch of actors will be portraying roles previously played by stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith.
An open casting call was launched on Monday for children from the UK and Ireland to audition for the lead roles for HBO’s forthcoming television adaptation.
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The TV adaption was confirmed by HBO Max in 2023 and aims to be a “faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer JK Rowling”. The series is expected to run for a decade, each season based on one of the seven Rowling books.
Recently David Tennant appeared to take a dig at Rowling when the Scottish actor was asked about participating in the new streaming series.
Tennant, 53, previously played the role of Barty Crouch Jr in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In recent months, he has drawn the ire of Rowling – an outspoken opponent of the transgender rights movement – after voicing support for the trans community.
Tennant was asked during a Q&A at Planet ComicCon about the possibility of returning to the world of Harry Potter for the reboot.
“I mean, they’re great stories,” he replied, adding that his “contribution has probably been made” to the Potter franchise already.
He then added: “I’m told there’s an executive producer who doesn’t love me on that show.”