Yahoo Lifestyle Harry Potter Series Makes Key Hire As ‘Poor Things’ Oscar Winner Holly Waddington Set As Costume Designer
EXCLUSIVE: HBO has made a key hire for its anticipated Harry Potter series in the shape of costume designer Holly Waddington, who recently won an Oscar for her work on Emma Stone starrer Poor Things.
The hire has been confirmed to us by HBO, marking the first confirmed creative to join the series since it was announced over the summer with Francesca Gardiner as showrunner and Mark Mylod aboard to direct multiple episodes.
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Waddington’s star is sky high after Poor Things, which earned her wins from the Academy, BAFTA and the Costume Designers Guild Awards. Her striking costumes for the film went on to be showcased in exhibitions held in London and Athens. She has now landed one of the plumb costume jobs in TV.
Rising Brit Waddington has worked in costumes since 2007, though her most recent film prior to Poor Things was well-received Florence Pugh starrer Lady Macbeth back in 2016, for which she won a BIFA. Her credits as assistant costume designer include Spielberg films Lincoln and War Horse, and she was costume designer on one episode of Hulu series The Great. She has also worked extensively in theater.
In an interview, Waddington has said her main movie influences include Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, David Lynch’s Eraserhead and Jane Campion’s The Piano.
As revealed yesterday at a Max Showcase in London, the big-budget series retelling of JK Rowling’s novels will film at Leavesden from summer 2025. HBO execs also revealed that a whopping 32,000 young actors have auditioned for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron. The casting team is reviewing up to 1,000 audition tapes per day, Gardiner said last night.
No actors have been confirmed for the series to date, though reports are that Mark Rylance is at the top of the casting wishlist to play beloved Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore, and Paapa Essiedu is reportedly high on the wishlist to play Severus Snape.
RELATED: HBO Circling Paapa Essiedu For Severus Snape Role In ‘Harry Potter’ TV Show
The as-yet untitled series was officially ordered at Max in April 2023, with the streamer also confirming that it would feature an entirely new cast from the hit films. Mylod said yesterday that the new show will “dig into the depths and crevices of Hogwarts.”
The costumes of the Harry Potter movies are most closely associated with designer Jany Temime who worked on six of the films.
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