There are popular franchises, and then there’s Harry Potter. The Wizarding World has entertained audiences for decades thanks to the books, theme park, stage plays, and (of course) the Harry Potter movies. The franchise (which is streaming with a Max subscription) will soon expand with a TV series. The anticipation for the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation is real, and actor Simon Pegg recently shared his sweet reaction to learning that his friend Nick Frost would be playing Hagrid.
What we know about the Harry Potter series is limited, but the cast is coming together. In addition to John Lithgow playing Dumbledore, Frost was confirmed to play Rubeus Hagrid. In an interview on Collider’s TikTok, the Mission: Impossible star revealed that he knew about this casting before the general public. In his words:
A long time. He called me when it happened, and swore me to secrecy. I immediately went and told my wife, because I just couldn’t hold it in. But I swore her to secrecy, it’s OK, she’s a cul de sac of information, it’s fine. But yeah, I knew for a while and I was just waiting for it to be announced.
Nick Frost was announced officially as Hagrid. As far as Pegg telling his wife the news, that’s something that many couples can identify with. I mean, you need someone to tell the whole truth to!
J.K. Rowling’s novels their own season, allowing for a more faithful adaptation to the source material with fewer cuts. Fans are fascinated by seeing which actors will play beloved characters, and wondering if any of the Harry Potter cast might join as new ones. In the same interview, Pegg was asked if he’d like a role, and he responded resoundingly with:
I just got out of a 20-year job, and I’m not sure I’m ready to take on an 8-year one, that’s considerably shorter. Not that I haven’t enjoyed these 20 years of Mission: Impossible, but I’m quite enjoying the uncertainty.
Points were made. While he hasn’t had to film a Mission: Impossible movie every year, Simon Pegg has been in the franchise for nearly two decades now. After all, he debuted as Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible II back in 2006. So the idea of joining another years-long contract might not be all that appealing to the 55-year-old actor, who also starred in the Star Trek franchise. Indeed, Lithgow stated that Dumbledore will probably be the last big role of his career. After all, the show will take at least 7 years to film, and that’s assuming there’s no big gaps between seasons like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things.
It’s currently unclear when the Harry Potter TV series will premiere, but new updates about casting are coming out consistently. While we shouldn’t expect it on the 2025 TV premiere list, we can re-watch the movies over on Max.