Harry Potter TV reboot rumors suggest Cillian Murphy is being eyed for a key role, and it isn't who fans expected

HBO's Harry Potter Season 1, which is based on the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is expected to begin production this summer. While there's not been any official casting announcement, a new rumor regarding Cillian Murphy's involvement in the series surfaced recently. Fans were clamoring for him to play Voldemort, but a new rumor suggests that he may be Professor Quirrell.

The stuttering Professor Quirinus Quirrell was introduced in the first book as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who may not be who he seems. Cillian Murphy is a successful Irish actor and the eight Harry Potter movies that were released between 2001 and 2011 boasted of the involvement of the finest of British and Irish actors. So, this is why Involving Murphy in the series is sensible.

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Cillian Murphy's casting rumor in the HBO Harry Potter show explained:

Daniel Richtman, a well-known scooper revealed an interesting casting scoop on February 10, 2025. He revealed that in contrast to the previous fan expectation of Cillian Murphy playing the central antagonist Lord Voldemort, the actor is supposedly involved in this season as Professor Quirrell, who is under Voldemort's control.

While this might be a disappointing development for countless fans of the Wizarding World Franchise, it might be an opportunity that Cillian Murphy might find appealing. If you don't remember, Quirrell was the main antagonist of the first book, but dies in the conclusion and doesn't appear in the franchise after that. This role may not require the Peaky Blinders actor to commit almost an entire decade for the HBO series.

However, Cillian Murphy's supposed involvement was not the only rumor Richtman had up his sleeve regarding the Harry Potter series which will begin filming soon.

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HBO's Harry Potter has supposedly found its Aunt Petunia:

Turns out that Aunt Petunia has also been cast in the upcoming HBO series. She will supposedly be played by none other than Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the star and creator of the acclaimed BBC show Fleabag. Petunia Dursley and her family are absolutely horrible to Harry, until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Dumbledore finally confronts them about their cruelty (it happens in the book).

The character was portrayed by Irish actress Fiona Shaw (Maarva from Andor) in the movies. While Phoebe Waller-Bridge resembles Shaw physically, it remains to be seen if she can hold the candle to Shaw's interpretation, which people remember two and a half decades later.

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What is the upcoming series about?

Officially announced on April 12, 2023, the series promises to adapt each of the seven books for one season, while makers considering shooting the first two seasons close to each other. Furthermore, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod promised to include the details the movies didn't include.

A blog post on the official Harry Potter Website revealed that the series will begin production in Summer 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. It also teased that the show will include characters that were not seen in the movies, including Peeves the Poltergeist. Here's how it reads:

"The new Harry Potter series will be a fresh adaptation of the books, going deeper into Harry’s story and featuring a brand-new cast for both old fans & new to get to know. We were also teased characters that are set to appear in the show that we did not visit in the films – such as the mischievous poltergeist Peeves!"

Mentioning the character, Mylod and Gardiner said this:

"We’ll get to have some fun with Peeves in the corridors!"

The post also teased that while iconic Hogwarts locations like the Great Hall will be returning in the series, of course, some parts of the magical school will be expanded upon. Mylod expressed excitement about going to unseen places like the Hogwarts staffroom. These things give hope to fans who are hoping that the HBO adaptation doesn't repeat what came before.

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Would you be okay if Cillian Murphy were to be involved just as Quirrell instead of Voldemort? And, what about Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Aunt Petunia? Are you excited about HBO's Harry Potter Series? Let us know.