Harry Potter HBO TV Series Set Photos Reveal First Look At Hogwarts

By Nina Starner
Ron, Hermione, and Harry looking at the Whomping Willow on the Hogwarts grounds in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Warner Bros.

The Daily Mail has published overhead shots of the set for the new "Harry Potter" TV series, and it sure seems like we're getting our first major look at some important features of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Brazilian "Harry Potter" fan Thiego Novais also posted the images on X:

The outlet ran a story that included aerial photos of several buildings, one of which definitely looks like the greenhouse occupied by magical professor Pomona Sprout (played in the original films by Miriam Margolyes, and by Sirine Saba in the forthcoming TV show). Another depicts an area that looks like the main Hogwarts courtyard, where the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione — initially portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, passing their proverbial torches to Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton — spend quite a bit of time.

There's also a really, really big tree stump, and we can probably assume that it's the base of the Whomping Willow, a super-powerful and quite violent tree that resides on Hogwarts' grounds and unlocks some secrets for the trio in the third book and film, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." 

We've seen bits and pieces of sets for the "Harry Potter" TV series (thanks to other aerial pictures) as it continues to take shape, and it's clear that Hogwarts, the main setting for the series that centers around the boy wizard, is nearly complete. So what else can we expect from the show?

More to come...

The new Harry Potter series for HBO is rebuilding the franchise from the ground up

Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the Hogwarts courtyard in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Warner Bros.

Ever since we first learned about the new "Harry Potter" series coming to HBO, we've gotten a fairly steady trickle of information about what we can expect from the TV show. Obviously, adapting books that span hundreds upon hundreds of pages (the fifth book alone, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," runs 870 pages in the American version) is a big challenge, a lot was left on the cutting room floor in the original "Harry Potter" film franchise. 

With showrunner Francesca Gardiner and her right-hand man Mark Mylod — both of whom previously worked for HBO on "Succession" — adapting each book into its own full-length season, it's relatively safe to assume that every plot detail left out of the original "Harry Potter" movies will likely show up in the series. We've also got a brand new cast aside from the main trio; Paapa Essiedu is tasked with the frankly tough challenge of filling the shoes of the late, great Alan Rickman to play Potions master Severus Snape, John Lithgow is donning purple robes as Dumbledore (after Richard Harris and Michael Gambon both originated the role), and Nick Frost will play Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid after Robbie Coltrane portrayed the friendly giant in the films.

I have my doubts about this "Harry Potter" TV series and I've written about them right here at /Film. Still, I'll say this: It's at least encouraging to see real, practical sets being built for this series, which is set to premiere on HBO in 2027.

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