Castium Revelio: The West End Enters the Upside Down

Before we get into new projects, we've got some disappointing news on Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle). She was set to lead a prequel series called Dune: The Sisterhood, but her role has been recast as part of a creative reshuffle of the project. The HBO Max show started production in November, but the reshuffle will mean a departure for Henderson, creator and co-showrunner Diane Ademu-Jones, and director Johan Renck.

Dame Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) has also dropped out of a project. We told you back in May about her role as Phil on Channel 4's drama Truelove, but unfortunately, she's had to pull out due to severe back pain. Filming will recommence later this year in Bristol after a nine-month gap. We hope that she has a quick recovery.

In more positive news, we have a new project for Stephen Fry (narrator of the Harry Potter audiobooks). He's set to host an ITV reboot of the classic gameshow Jeopardy! Fry explained how he is "dizzy with delight" at the thought of hosting the show, describing how he does his "damnedest to catch it every weekday" whenever he is in America.

He continued, "Such a dedicated quizzing nation as ours will, I hope, welcome this uniquely beguiling and endlessly rewarding game."

Next up, we've got an announcement on Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore). He's joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for its second season on Amazon Prime! We have no details on his character yet, but we do know he'll be in a recurring role. The new season is expected to be released in 2024.

Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) has been involved in a charity campaign with PETA. The campaign involves a video in which Cave stars alongside several animal puppets, all of whom have various afflictions due to the animal-made clothing industry. PETA is currently asking CBBC to show the video to teach children about where their clothes truly come from.

Do you remember when we told you about Robert Eggers's upcoming film Nosferatu, which is being produced by Chris Columbus (director of the first two Harry Potter films) and his daughter Eleanor Columbus (Susan Bones)? Even more Wizarding World alums have joined the cast. Announced at the start of the month, Ralph Ineson (Amycus Carrow) and Simon McBurney (Kreacher) will join the remake alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train).

Adrian Rawlins (James Potter) has also been cast in a new project this month. He'll be featured in Mary & George, a Sky historical and psychological drama about Mary Villiers, a woman who used her son to become one of the most powerful people in the English monarchy during James I's reign. The show is based on The King's Assassin, a book written by Benjamin Woolley.

We have a release date for The Ghost of Richard Harris! The feature-length documentary about the life of the late Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies) will debut on BritBox on May 9. It will tell the life story of Harris, who played several other iconic roles besides our beloved headmaster.

We've got a new project for David Bradley (Argus Filch) up next. He will be featured in My Sister's Bones, an upcoming psychological thriller adapted from Nuala Ellwood's book of the same name. Production for the film wrapped earlier this month, and some first-look images have been released from the set. 

Credit: BK Studios

We've got two announcements about David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr.). He took part in this year's Red Nose Day for Comic Relief, and we've got a video of his arrival! In true wizarding form, he practically Apparates into the dressing room of Sir Lenny Henry (shrunken head in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) to take his place as a host of the live show. The video also gives us another glimpse of Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor as he rocks up in costume. Check it out below.

The second Tennant announcement is a new role. He'll take on the role of the controller of an independent TV franchise in Rivals, a new Disney+ show based on Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name. The show also stars Danny Dyer (Eastenders), Alex Hassell (Violent Night), and Aidan Turner (Poldark).

Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) is set to lead a new TV series adapted from a book and film. He'll take on the role of one of pop culture's most famous assassins in a new take in The Day of the Jackal. The show will enter production later this year and will air on Sky in the UK and Peacock in the US.

Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein) also announced a new project this month. She released a music video for her new song "Come On Baby," which is off her upcoming autobiographical album, Still Come the Night. The video shows an intimate story about healing after experiencing the emotional pain of a miscarriage. You can watch the video below.

Last but not least, we've got a collaboration between Harry Potter and the Cursed Child producer Sonia Friedman and cowriter Jack Thorne. They're taking a trip to the Upside Down with Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a new prequel stage show from the Stranger Things universe. Tickets for the show were released earlier this month, with a preview run starting on the West End on November 17 and the official opening on December 13.