New Magic for HBO's 'Harry Potter': Iconic Characters Get Their Season 2 Cast Revealed!

HBO’s anticipated "Harry Potter" series is rapidly expanding its cast for Season 2, which will adapt the beloved book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Recent announcements confirm three key additions: Rafe Spall, known for his roles in "Trying" and "Life of Pi," will take on the part of Arthur Weasley. Molly Hewitt-Richards, from "Code of Silence," has been cast as the ghost Moaning Myrtle, while Jasper Ambrose, seen in "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy," will portray Colin Creevey.

Arthur Weasley is depicted as the warm patriarch of the Weasley family, including Harry’s best friend Ron. He works in the Ministry of Magic’s Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and holds an enduring fascination with the non-magical world, often questioning Harry about mundane items like electricity and rubber ducks. Despite his seemingly comic nature, Arthur is a senior member of the Order of the Phoenix and a significant parental figure to Harry throughout the story. In the original film franchise, Arthur Weasley was played by Mark Williams. Moaning Myrtle, a miserable girl ghost and former Hogwarts student, haunts one of the school's abandoned girls' bathrooms, often aiding Harry in his investigations. Shirley Henderson previously played Myrtle in the films. Colin Creevey is an immensely earnest first-year Hogwarts student with a camera, known for his intense admiration and obsession with Harry Potter, a role originally portrayed by Hugh Mitchell.

Rafe Spall's casting is particularly noteworthy, given his father, Timothy Spall, played Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) in the original film series. Spall has an extensive acting career, having made breakthrough appearances in Edgar Wright’s "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." His filmography also includes "Anonymous," "Prometheus," "Life of Pi," "The Big Short," "The BFG," "The Ritual," "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," "Men in Black: International," and "Just Mercy." On television, he starred for five seasons in Apple TV’s "Trying" and appeared in "The English," "Black Mirror," "Roadies," and "War of the Worlds."

These are the latest additions to the growing cast for Season 2. Other previously announced actors joining the second season include Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart, Bonnie Hill as Ginny Weasley, Lenny Rush as Dobby, and Billy Barratt as Tom Riddle.

The series features a comprehensive main cast, with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley, Gabriel Harland as George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Finn Stephens as Vincent Crabbe, William Nash as Gregory Goyle, Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Sirine Saba as Pomona Sprout, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley, Richard Durden as Cuthbert Binns, Louise Brealey as Rolanda Hooch, Bríd Brennan as Poppy Pomfrey, Leigh Gill as Griphook, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.

Season 1 of "Harry Potter" is scheduled to debut on HBO and HBO Max on December 25, while production for Season 2 is aiming to begin imminently. Francesca Gardiner serves as writer and executive producer for Season 1. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes. The series is executive produced by author J.K. Rowling, alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films, in association with Warner Bros. Television.