The show comes nearly 30 years after J.K. Rowling published “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which was adapted into a film directed by Chris Columbus in 2001. In total, the original “Harry Potter” film series has grossed $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger – 32,000 kids who submitted for the open casting call What that list implies is that some of these actors should be a bit younger, or sometimes quite a bit, than the previous actors who took these adult roles. Mark Strong, just 61, is certainly an interesting pick for the wizened Dumbledore.