In the world of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger always stood out – sharp-witted, fiercely loyal, and one of the most iconic characters in modern fantasy. Truth be told, filling her shoes is no small task. However, HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot is ready to reimagine the magic, and stepping into the limelight as the new Hermione is Arabella Stanton.

This is her first official gig. A fresh face, a massive role, and a whole lot of expectations, Stanton’s journey is just beginning.

Hermione Granger has officially found her next wand-wielder, and it’s a newcomer stepping into those iconic robes. Arabella Stanton, a fresh face with no screen credits to her name, has officially been cast as Hermione in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot. This is reportedly her first official gig. 

Stanton joins Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, completing the golden trio for a whole new generation of Potterheads. HBO’s open casting call drew over 30,000 hopefuls. Stanton came out on top.

Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod called the trio’s casting “an extraordinary search,” saying they “cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.”

While Harry Potter will be Stanton’s on-screen debut, she’s also played Matilda in Matilda: The Musical on London’s West End from 2023 to 2024. McLaughlin has a role in Sky’s upcoming comedy Grow, and Stout makes his major debut here. Together, they’ll lead a reboot expected to follow J.K. Rowling’s original seven-book arc, with filming kicking off this summer.

They’ll be joined by John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid.

Harry Potter is being helmed by Gardiner and produced by Brontë Film and TV, Warner Bros. Television, and Heyday Films, with Rowling on board as executive producer.

Harry Potter was a huge part of everyone’s childhood, back when everything just felt better. Movies hit harder, magic felt real, and even candy tasted sweeter. Now HBO wants to redo it all, and strictly speaking, for myself, it feels so, so wrong. 

The original films were just movies; they were moments, experiences, memories. Midnight premieres, fan theories, that first sight of Hogwarts… you can’t reboot that kind of feeling. And no matter how good the new cast is, they’ll get buried under the weight of nostalgia. 

It’s not just the fans being protective either. The franchise has baggage. Some actors want nothing to do with it anymore, and J.K. Rowling’s controversies still hover like a storm cloud. Add Warner Bros.’ messy track record, and you’ve got a shaky foundation.

I wish the new cast luck, they’ll need it. But trying to recapture childhood magic in 2025 feels like a tall order (to me, it does). I sternly believe that some stories are better left untouched. This one might be too.

Harry Potter movies on Peacock & Apple TV.