THE star of a Channel 5 crime drama has reportedly been cast in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
Bosses have been assembling the ensemble for the new adaptation of JK Rowling‘s seven books.
A Channel 5 crime drama star has been reportedly cast in HBO’s Harry Potter TV series[/caption]
Bertie Carvel is said to be playing Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic[/caption]
The late Robert Hardy played Fudge in the beloved films[/caption]
According to Deadline, Bertie Carvel has been tapped to play Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
He is reportedly set for a recurring role in the highly anticipated show.
The late actor Robert Hardy portrayed Fudge in four Harry Potter films.
HBO declined to confirm Bertie’s involvement, with a spokesperson saying “such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation” as well as “we will only confirm details as we finalise deals”.
He would join Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout – who have been cast as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
The confirmed adult cast includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Rounding out the announced names are Luke Thallon as Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Filch.
Bertie, 47, currently plays the title role in Dalgleish, based on PD James’ Adam Dalgleish novels.
Set in the 1970s, the premise follows recent widower DCI Dalgleish investigating complex crimes.
He is a two-time Olivier Award winner for his performance as Ms Trunchbull in Matilda: The Musical and Rupert Murdoch in Ink, respectively.
No stranger to playing politicians, Bertie recently starred as Tony Blair in The Crown.
Following a supporting role in season five, he became a main cast member for the sixth and final season.
The casting of the Harry Potter TV show’s three young leads was officially announced last month.
Showrunner/executive producer Francesca Gardiner and executive producer/director Mark Mylod said: “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron.
“The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together on-screen.”
They added: “We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned.
“It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”
Bertie previously played Tony Blair in The Crown[/caption]
The Harry Potter TV show’s three young leads were announced last month[/caption]
How to spot a rare Harry Potter book
AS JK Rowling’s popularity has rocketed, so has the value of the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
If you think you might have one, then first look to see if Bloomsbury is listed as the publisher on the title page at the bottom.
The copy should be a first edition – which will be noted within the first few pages.
The latest date listed in the copyright information must by 1997.
It should be credited to “Joanne Rowling” and not “J.K Rowling” and carry a print line that reads ” 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1″ on the copyright page.
There is a mistake on page 53 where “1 wand” appears twice in the list of school supplies Harry receives from Hogwarts, which was corrected in later print runs.
For the other titles in the Harry Potter series, it is only the first hardback editions with the dust jacket that have any collectable value.
