HBO has added three more names to its upcoming Harry Potter series for Season 2, casting Lenny Rush as Dobby, Bonnie Hill as Ginny Weasley and Billy Barratt as Tom Riddle. The update also means Gracie Cochrane is out as Ginny Weasley after playing the role in Season 1.
The announcement lands now because the first season has already wrapped and is set to premiere on HBO on Dec. 25, even as Season 2 remains in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London. That makes the new casting a live production move, not a distant planning note, and it gives viewers the clearest sign yet that the series is already moving deeper into the second chapter of J.K. Rowling's story before the first episode has aired.
Bonnie Hill's arrival is the most consequential change in the group. Ginny Weasley is one of the series' central characters, and recasting her before the second season gets underway resets a role that had already been assigned to Gracie Cochrane. Cochrane left the part because of unforeseen circumstances, which is all that has been made public about the change.
The second season is based on the second book in Rowling's fantasy series, so the cast additions are part of a larger buildout rather than isolated cameos. Dominic McLaughlin will lead the adaptation as Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, while John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost are among the other names already attached.
For now, the main question is not who is in the cast but when Season 2 leaves pre-production. HBO has not given a filming start date, and the timing suggests the studio is still locking down the series before cameras roll. What is clear is that the show is already making second-season decisions while the first season is still waiting to meet viewers.
