Harry Potter fans have started to see the first pieces of HBO’s new TV series coming together, with John Lithgow’s Dumbledore casting and several other stars being “close to a deal” to take on some of the iconic roles of the franchise. Now it looks like HBO is closing in on an actor to take over the role of another much-loved character of the franchise – Rubeus Hagrid.

According to Deadline, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz star Nick Frost is close to stepping into the large shoes of Hogwarts’ groundskeeper, who becomes an ally of Harry and his friends during their time at the wizarding school. Having previously been played by the late Robbie Coltrane throughout the movie franchise, the role of Hagrid is certainly not going to be an easy one to take on, but Frost certainly seems to be someone who can bring the kind of comedic timing and jolly, heartfelt warmth of Hagrid that Coltrane played to perfection.

Currently, HBO has not confirmed this casting, but some fans believe that Frost himself teased his casting after posting recently on his social media accounts, saying, “It’s happening. It’s actually happening. Stay cool.”

Of course, this in itself is not a confirmation, but the timing does seem to match up with Deadline's note that their sources have put Frost in the frame. Meanwhile, many of Frost's followers on Instagram have already assumed that the deal is done and Harry Potter fans will be seeing the actor become Hagrid in the HBO series.

So far, HBO has remained tight-lipped on casting for the series, even with filming expected to start in the coming months. Even the casting of John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore was confirmed by the actor himself and not HBO, and he has not stopped discussing it since. However, it looks like HBO is waiting until all the major roles are in place before making their announcement. So far, the "confirmed" roles cast are those of Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape, with Ozark star Janet McTeer and Paapa Essiedu being named respectively.

While many have noted that Coltrane set an incredibly high bar playing Hagrid across the eight Harry Potter movies, fans have been very positive about Frost potentially being the one to step into the role in the new series. Who knows, perhaps the show won't be the complete disaster that many have predicted after all. There are still several more big roles to be filled, including the all-important roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but when we finally get all the new players confirmed is still very much in the hands of HBO.

Source: Deadline