HBO’s “Harry Potter” Is Already Looking Ahead to “Chamber of Secrets” With New Cast

We haven’t even stepped back through the doors of Hogwarts yet, but HBO is already preparing for Harry Potter’s second year.

With the highly anticipated “Harry Potter” television series set to make its debut this December, much of the attention has naturally remained on how the new adaptation will bring “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” back to the screen. Behind the scenes, however, work is already underway on season two, and several familiar faces from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” have now found their new actors.

As first reported by Variety, Lenny Rush has been cast as Dobby, with Bonnie Hill joining as Ginny Weasley and Billy Barratt taking on the role of a young Tom Riddle.

For anyone familiar with Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, all three characters are rather important additions. Dobby’s desperate attempts to keep Harry away from Hogwarts help set the mystery in motion, while Ginny becomes increasingly central as strange events begin unfolding throughout the school. Then, of course, there is Tom Riddle, whose seemingly innocent diary holds a considerably darker connection to Hogwarts’ past.

Hill’s casting also represents a change from the first season. Gracie Cochrane had previously been cast as Ginny and will portray the youngest Weasley sibling during season one, but exited the role due to what was described as “unforeseen circumstances.” Hill will take over beginning with the “Chamber of Secrets” storyline.

The news comes unusually early in the life of the series. Season one has already wrapped production and is scheduled to premiere on HBO December 25, while the second season is currently in pre-production at Leavesden Studios outside London. Rather than waiting to see Harry’s first year arrive on television before moving ahead, HBO is already laying the groundwork for the next chapter.

That forward momentum makes sense for an adaptation with an especially unusual challenge ahead of it. “Harry Potter” is ultimately a story about watching its young characters grow across seven increasingly complicated school years. Keeping production moving becomes particularly important when your central cast is growing right alongside the characters they portray.

It also means the world surrounding them is going to expand rather quickly. “Chamber of Secrets” introduces new students, professors, creatures and pieces of wizarding history while digging considerably deeper into Hogwarts itself. Dobby, Ginny and Tom Riddle are only three pieces of that much larger puzzle, meaning there are still plenty of familiar names waiting to join Harry’s second year.

For now, though, Harry still has to survive his first.

“Harry Potter” will premiere on HBO December 25, with season two based on “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” currently in pre-production.