Young Harry Potter Spotted With Dursleys in New HBO Series Pic

The first behind-the-scenes photos from HBO's upcoming Harry Potter television series have emerged online, offering fans an initial glimpse at the young lead actor and his non-magical relatives, the Dursley family.

Principal photography began this week at London Zoo, the location for a pivotal moment from the first novel where Harry (now portrayed by Dominic McLaughlin) magically releases a snake from its enclosure to frighten his spoiled cousin, Dudley.

The images provide our first look at the costumed actors playing Dudley (Amos Kitson), Aunt Petunia (Bel Powley), and Uncle Vernon (Daniel Rigby). Their noticeably retro wardrobe is immediately apparent: Dudley wears a tracksuit, Vernon sports a patterned shirt, thick glasses, and a bushy mustache.

The characters' aesthetic is faithful to the books' original timeframe. Dudley's eleventh birthday occurs in June 1991, placing the story just a couple of months before Harry's inaugural journey to Hogwarts.

Although the Harry Potter novels were first published starting in 1997, the narrative itself begins several years earlier. The core storyline concludes in 1998, followed by an epilogue set in 2017 that shows the main characters as adults with their own families.

Visitors to London Zoo were able to observe the cast up close as they filmed scenes moving between various animal exhibits. The zoo sequence is expected to be one of the few public location shoots for the first season, with the majority of production taking place at the series' extensive home base, Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios.

In fact, a dedicated on-site school capable of accommodating up to 600 young cast members is currently under construction there as filming activities intensify.

FIRST LOOK AT THE DURSLEYS pic.twitter.com/1mIHKsJv5P

— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) July 17, 2025

Warner Bros. and HBO's strategy involves adapting each of the seven Harry Potter books into its own distinct television season, with production projected to span the next eight to ten years. The debut season is scheduled for release in 2027.

To commemorate the start of production, HBO released a promotional image this week featuring Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter in full Hogwarts uniform. This was soon followed by a first look at Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost in costume as the gentle giant, Rubeus Hagrid.

Several other key cast members have yet to be seen in costume, including veteran actor John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley.