Harry Potter HBO Series Casts New Cornelius Fudge Actor

The upcoming Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max has cast the actor who will play Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic who frequently creates issues for Potter and his friends. The Harry Potter series is arguably just as iconic as something as Star Wars. Despite only being seven books and eight movies (not including the spin-offs), the Harry Potter franchise has a total stranglehold on pop culture thanks to its expansive fantasy world and rich characters. It has managed to get so big that Harry Potter even has its own park at Universal Studios, allowing guests to immerse themselves in that world with locations, food/drinks, and stores that let them buy wands and robes.

Although the Harry Potter movies only ended a little over a decade ago, there’s a desire from Warner Bros. to keep the ball rolling some way. As a result, we are getting a Harry Potter TV series that will chronicle all seven books across seven seasons of television. The Harry Potter series recently announced its actors for Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione, all of whom are fresh faced young actors that audiences will watch grow up on TV. With that said, the show is still assembling the larger cast.

Harry Potter TV Series Casts Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge

Deadline is reporting that Bertie Carvel will play Cornelius Fudge in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. Carvel is known primarily for his extensive theater work and is notably younger than Fudge’s film actor, Robert Hardy who was in his late 70s when he joined the franchise on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Carvel is 47, so it may lead to a much different interpretation of the character this go around.

It’s unclear how much screentime he will have in the show, but this casting does indicate he will show up sooner than he did in the films. Production is ramping up to begin sometime this summer on the Harry Potter HBO series, so it’s possible we will start seeing set photos and videos trickle out throughout this year.

It’s expected that the Harry Potter series will release sometime next year, though we don’t have a hard date yet. Given there will likely be a great deal of VFX work due to all of the magic and unique locations, it wouldn’t be surprising if Harry Potter makes its debut on HBO Max around holiday 2026. The Harry Potter series has already cultivate a pretty massive cast with Nick Frost as Hagid and John Lithgow as Dumbledore. As of right now, it remains to be seen who will play characters like Voldemort and more book-specific roles that will come in later seasons like Cedrick Diggory.