Hogwarts Homeschool: HBO's Building a Real School for the New Harry Potter Series (No, Really)
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
HBO is building a literal school on the set of the new Harry Potter series to accommodate the child actors' education, which is either incredibly responsible or slightly bonkers (or both, let's be honest). Seriously, this show's commitment is wilder than a rogue bludger.
Right, so HBO's going all-in on this new Harry Potter series – like, *really* all-in. IGN South Africa reports that they're not just building Hogwarts sets; they're constructing a temporary school alongside it, with room for up to 600 cast members. That's not a typo. A full-blown school.
According to the BBC (via IGN), this isn't just some fancy daycare situation. Cast members, including the core child actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione, will actually attend classes between takes. We're talking around 150 kids getting daily lessons, with space to quadruple that number during peak filming periods. Forget online classes; these young witches and wizards are swapping arithmetic for arithmancy on the fly. Talk about immersive learning!
This temporary school, housed in portable buildings at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, will be open from the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM to 8:30 PM, accommodating both day and night shoots. Three Rivers District Council is overseeing the operation, ensuring everything's above board. The plan is to keep the school running for the next 8-10 years, mirroring the series' projected lifespan. Then, poof, it's dismantled, like a particularly elaborate levitation spell.
HBO even dropped a sneak peek of Dominic McLaughlin, the new Harry Potter, in costume. And, because the internet never sleeps, we've also gotten our first glimpse of Nick Frost (yes, *that* Nick Frost) as Hagrid. Sounds promising, doesn't it?
Each Harry Potter book will be adapted into a full season, with the first episode slated for 2027. Alongside the youngsters, we've got some serious acting firepower joining the cast, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Paul Whitehouse as Filch, and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley. Good on them all, I say.
This whole production sounds bigger than a Hungarian Horntail, and I reckon it's a testament to the enduring magic (pun intended) of the Harry Potter universe. Whether it lives up to the hype remains to be seen, but at least the kids are getting an education in between dodging dementors and perfecting their Patronus charms. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to practice my Accio spell... for more gaming news, naturally.
Tags: Harry Potter, HBO, TV Series, Warner Bros, Fantasy
Original article: IGN South Africa