Harry Potter TV Series Odds: Murphy for Voldemort, Danny Dyer Shock Contender
After months of debate about the new Harry Potter TV series, makers HBO have confirmed 18 actors in the past eight weeks, though there is still plenty of speculation on betting sites about who else could feature.
The latest update came in a flurry of nine confirmations, including Rivals star Katherine Parkinson joining the series as Molly Weasley and Doctor Foster actor Bertie Carvel cast as Cornelius Fudge.
Other new announcements include The Morning Show's Bel Powley and Snow White star Daniel Rigby joining the series as Petunia and Vernon Dursley.
Johnny Flynn will play Lucius Malfoy, while Lox Pratt will portray his son, Draco Malfoy.
Tens of thousands of budding actors auditioned for the main roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, but HBO have settled on their final three.
Dominic McLaughlin has been cast in the titular role of Harry Potter, and Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout are to play his respective sidekicks Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Francesca Gardiner, showrunner, executive producer, said: "The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.
"We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there."
HBO initially cast six actors in Harry Potter roles, including four series regulars - John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Luke Thallon will portray Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse will star as Argus Filch.
Other confirmed castings include three Hogwarts students - Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown.
Cillian Vs Tom?
Cillian Murphy has been linked to the role of Voldemort for months, although it was previously thought he might be asked to portray Professor Quirrell instead.
However, Thallon has since been cast as Quirrell, potentially leaving the path to the Dark Lord role clear, or at least clearer, for the Peaky Blinders star.
Murphy has been backed for the part by Ralph Fiennes, who played the dreaded character in the film franchise, as well as by a Harry Potter director.
Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Potter films, previously told People magazine: “Cillian is one of my favourite actors, so that would be amazing.”
Harry Potter TV Series: Who Will Play Lord Voldemort Odds
Actor | Odds | Probability |
Cillian Murphy | 10/11 | 52.4% |
Tom Hiddleston | 6/4 | 40% |
Rhys Ifans | 7/4 | 36.4% |
Christian Bale | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Matt Smith | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Ralph Fiennes | 3/1 | 25% |
Damian Lewis | 4/1 | 20% |
Paul Bettany | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Stellan Skarsgard | 11/2 | 15.4% |
David Tennant | 6/1 | 14.3% |
David Bradley | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Bill Nighy | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Benedict Cumberbatch | 12/1 | 7.7% |
However, with a character confirmation yet to emerge, Murphy's odds to portray You-Know-Who have shortened slightly to 10/11 on betting apps, and there is another contender in town.
Tom Hiddleston is the 6/4 second favourite to land the part, while Rhys Ifans - well regarded by HBO bosses thanks to his role as Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon - is the 7/4 third favourite.
But if HBO want to cast a major Hollywood name to portray the chilling character, they could do far worse than signing up Christian Bale (2/1).
Ralph's Return
Warner Bros. CEO Channing Dungey recently admitted that the Harry Potter TV series team hadn't quite finalised casting for the Dark Lord, confessing they were still considering “a couple of different options”.
She told Deadline: “You're missing [Voldemort] in your deck, because we are still weighing a couple of different options there, so we're not quite ready there yet. That's an important role to get right.”
If it's a safe pair of hands they're after, they could even look to Fiennes. He knows better than anyone what it takes to portray He Who Must Not Be Named, having done so in the original wizarding film series.
It’s 3/1 for Ralph to return to the role, but Matt Smith - who, like Ifans, is another House of the Dragon favourite - would also be a fantastic choice.
The former Doctor Who star is 5/2, while Damian Lewis and Paul Bettany are priced at 4/1 and 5/1 respectively.
Harry Potter TV Series: Who Will Play Arthur Weasley Odds
Actor | Odds | Probability |
Simon Pegg | 15/8 | 34.8% |
Stephen Merchant | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Danny Dyer | 11/5 | 31.3% |
Damian Lewis | 9/4 | 30.8% |
Domhnall Gleeson | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Martin Freeman | 3/1 | 25% |
Tom Goodman-Hill | 10/3 | 23.1% |
Jason Flemyng | 4/1 | 20% |
Julian Rhind-Tutt | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Arthur Darvill | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Kevin McKidd | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Dyer Shock Contender
While the latest Harry Potter casting announcement revealed Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, it came as a surprise that her on-screen husband, Arthur Weasley, is yet to be announced.
Warner Bros. are clearly still working on their top targets - or has a new star gatecrashed the party?
Simon Pegg (15/8) and Stephen Merchant (2/1) remain first and second favourites to take on the role, but could one of Katherine’s Rivals co-stars now be in contention following her Potter casting?
Danny Dyer has emerged as an 11/5 third favourite to play Arthur.
Top geezer Dyer and Parkinson displayed fantastic chemistry in the Disney+ series Rivals, and it would be an inspired choice to cast the former EastEnders actor in Harry Potter.
He would need some strawberry blonde hair dye, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for such an experienced actor.
Damian Lewis (9/4) and Domhnall Gleeson (5/2) are also thought to be in the running for the role.
Harry Potter TV Series: Who Will Play Mr. Ollivander
Actor | Odds | Probability |
Mackenzie Crook | 6/4 | 40% |
Toby Jones | 7/4 | 36.4% |
Simon Pegg | 2/1 | 33.3% |
David Tennant | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Martin Freeman | 3/1 | 25% |
Peter Capaldi | 4/1 | 20% |
Anton Lesser | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Geoffrey Rush | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Eddie Marsan | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Tom Hollander | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Mack The Wandmaker
Another character likely to appear in the first series of the Harry Potter TV adaptation is Mr Ollivander.
Portrayed by the late, great John Hurt in three of the films, Mr Ollivander owned the wand shop Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, where Harry acquired his first-ever wand.
The character was widely considered the best wandmaker in the world, and in the films, he had something of a Worzel Gummidge look about him.
If HBO are going for a similar hairdo, then The Office star Mackenzie Crook could be among those in contention to portray the character.
Mackenzie is no stranger to playing fictional scarecrow Gummidge, having done so in the children’s TV series reboot in 2019.
He is the 6/4 favourite to appear as Mr Ollivander in the new Harry Potter series, but he could face stiff competition from his Detectorists co-star Toby Jones, who isn’t far behind at 7/4.
Others who could portray the wand entrepreneur include Simon Pegg (2/1) and Martin Freeman (3/1), both of whom have also been linked to the role of Arthur Weasley.
Former Doctor Who star David Tennant (5/2), who played Barty Crouch Jr in the Potter films, could also be in the conversation, as might another ex-Time Lord, Peter Capaldi.
The Paddington actor is 4/1, just ahead of 5/1 chance Anton Lesser, who is no doubt well regarded at HBO HQ after his sublime portrayal of Qyburn in Game of Thrones.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
