HBO’s Harry Potter officially casts new Dobby and young Voldemort

Wands at the ready, Harry Potter fans, because HBO has shared an exciting new update from the wizarding world.

Yesterday, they announced who will be playing Dobby and Tom Riddle in the upcoming small-screen reboot of the magical franchise.
​
Am I Being Unreasonable? Star and Bafta winner Lenny Rush will be playing Dobby the House-Elf in the show’s second series, replacing Toby Jones, who voiced the character in the Harry Potter films.
​
Reacting to the news on Instagram, Lenny, 17, revealed how excited he was to be joining the show’s cast.
​
‘I am over the moon to be joining the magical world of HBO’s Harry Potter series as Dobby,’ he wrote.
​
‘Even littler me (a massive Harry Potter fan, as you can tell) wouldn’t believe it! Very excited to join this amazing franchise.’

Meanwhile, Billy Barratt, who starred in the recent superhero movie Kraven the Hunter and the excellent horror movie Bring Her Back, will be playing Tom Riddle.
​
Riddle is, of course, the dark lord Voldemort’s real name, although the wicked wizard doesn’t like it when people dare to call him Tom (what’s wrong with that name, Voldemort?).
​
Marking the announcement, the 19-year-old leaned into Riddle’s secretive nature, sharing a suitably coy post on Instagram which simply read: ‘Riddle me this…’

The pair aren’t the only new names joining the Wizarding World. Bonnie Hill will take over the role of Ginny Weasley from Gracie Cochrane.
​
Gracie will play Ginny in Season 1; however, she will not be returning for Season 2.
​
In a statement shared with People, Gracie and her family explained the reasons for making this ‘challenging decision,’ citing ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

‘Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience,’ the statement continued.
​
‘Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.’

Earlier this week, HBO shared a new trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which gave us our best look yet at the new cast and Hogwarts.
​
The show will star Dominic McLaughlin as the titular ‘Boy Who Lived’, as well as Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
​
The new golden trio will be joined by an all-star cast, including Paapa Essiedu, John Lithgow, Janet McTeer and Nick Frost.
​
The series will debut at Christmas 2026 on HBO and will be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max in the UK & Ireland.

MORE: Rupert Grint returning to Harry Potter as Ron Weasley in Broadway show

MORE: Nicholas Hoult fans say damage is done despite him quitting Harry Potter: ‘Still icky’

MORE: Andrew Rannells: ‘My father died when I was 22 – it was a lot to process’