• By MuggleNet Editorial Staff
• 18 May, 2026
• Latest

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series will have a new Ginny Weasley after Season 1, with child actor Gracie Cochrane stepping away from the role. Deadline was the first to report the casting change.

Cochrane was announced as Ginny in August 2025, when HBO revealed several of the Weasley children: Tristan Harland as Fred, Gabriel Harland as George, Ruari Spooner as Percy and Cochrane as Ginny. The announcement came with an on-set selfie of the cast at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, where production was taking place.

In a joint statement, Cochrane and her family said the decision came “due to unforeseen circumstances” and that leaving the series was a challenging choice. They added that her time in the Harry Potter world had been “truly wonderful” and thanked casting director Lucy Bevan and the production team for creating an unforgettable experience.

Ginny was expected to have only a small role in the first season, which adapts Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As her character is a year below Harry, Ron and Hermione in the first book, she appears briefly at King’s Cross with the rest of the Weasley family.

HBO also voiced support for the decision. “We support Gracie Cochrane and her family’s decision not to return for the next season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on Season 1 of the show,” a representative for the network said. With Season 2 now in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London, HBO will need to cast a new actor before Ginny takes on that larger part.

The first official teaser for HBO’s series was released March 25, confirming the title Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and a Christmas 2026 debut on HBO and HBO Max. The eight-episode first season has wrapped filming, while Season 2 is currently in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London.

Last updated: May 18, 2026. | Photograph courtesy of HBO.