HBO casts Rafe Spall as Arthur Weasley for Harry Potter Season 2
HBO has found its Arthur Weasley. Rafe Spall will play the Weasley family patriarch in Season 2 of the network's Harry Potter series, The Hollywood Reporter reported on 15 September.
The casting carries a family link. Spall is the son of Timothy Spall, who played Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew in five of the original Harry Potter feature films.
Arthur Weasley is the kind-hearted father of Ron Weasley and his six siblings. He works at the Ministry of Magic and is fascinated by non-magical objects. Spall is known for roles in Life of Pi, The Big Short and the BBC series The War of the Worlds.
Two young newcomers join him in Season 2. Molly Hewitt-Richards will play Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunts the girls' bathroom at Hogwarts. Jasper Ambrose will play Colin Creevey, a first-year student who idolises Harry.
They are part of a wider Chamber of Secrets ensemble. Season 2 adapts Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in J.K. Rowling's series. Kit Harington will play Gilderoy Lockhart, the boastful new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lenny Rush will play Dobby, the house-elf who warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts. Billy Barratt will play Tom Riddle, the student who grows up to become Lord Voldemort.
Production on Season 2 is set to begin in the autumn. Season 1, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is set to premiere on 25 December on HBO.
Timothy Spall has spoken in favour of the reboot. He defended the new series in an interview last year, saying a fresh adaptation could bring the story to a new generation, WIONews reported.
For fans, this means the second year at Hogwarts is taking shape before the first has even aired. The Weasleys move to the centre of the story. And Dobby becomes a fan favourite.
