Fan reactions to first look at Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter: “He’s freaking adorable”

Fans have been given a first look at HBO’s Harry Potter in costume with the upcoming series now officially in production.

Producers shared the first picture of 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin in costume as the boy wizard earlier today (July 14), as production begins at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire – the same place the eight Harry Potter movies, in which Daniel Radcliffe played the titular character, were filmed.

On the whole, fans have reacted with excitement – and the prevailing view seems to be that McLaughlin looks like previous depictions of Potter. Nice casting, exactly looks [like] little Harry,” wrote one fan on Instagram, while another said: “He looks great as Harry! Pls protect him from the internet trolls.”

“He’s freaking adorable,” another said, while one fan was happy to “finally” see a Potter with green eyes. “So cute omg, I hate that J.K. [Rowling] is involved in that, poor baby,” another commented, referencing the author’s role as an executive producer in the series. Some fans had previously objected to her involvement due to views she has expressed on transgender rights.

And not all commenters agreed with the idea of another Harry Potter adaptation. “The series no one asked for. Even my little nieces and cousins love the original, they don’t need a new version of it,” said one person, while another wrote, “What in the Temu Harry Potter is this?” poking fun at the online marketplace as well as the series.

On X (Twitter), someone wrote: “Hope it’s not gonna be God awful. No one asked for this. Just another cash grab,” while one more urged fans to be nice to the child actors, writing: “I’m really begging the general public to be kind to these children and not to ruin their lives for fun.”

Hope it’s not gonna be God awful. No one asked for this. Just another cash grab

— Yama (@YamaMetaX) July 14, 2025

More new cast members were announced today, too. Rory Wilmot is set to play Neville Longbottom, while Amos Kitson is Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey is Madam Rolando Hooch and Anton Lesser is Garrick Ollivander.

They join those already announced, including McLaughlin as Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Grainger and John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore. Paapa Essiedu is Severus Snape, Nick Frost is Rubeus Hagrid, and Janet McTeer is Minerva McGonagall.

HBO has said that the series, which is set to premiere in early 2027, would be a “faithful adaptation of the iconic books”. It’s set to have more space to explore some plot lines from the book compared to the film, given the fewer time constraints.

Meanwhile, Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the movies, returned to the role on stage as part of the Broadway production of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.