The original Harry Potter stars are passing the torch — literally, in writing. James Phelps and Oliver Phelps, who played Fred and George Weasley throughout all eight Harry Potter films, have revealed that they have written personal letters to their successors, Tristan Harland and Gabriel Harland, who will play the Weasley twins in HBO’s new television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books.
The gesture, reported by Collider on Monday, November 9, is the latest sign of how carefully the original cast is handling the handover. The Phelps twins spent a decade as Fred and George, from 2001 to 2011, and their letters to the Harlands are a private welcome to two young actors stepping into roles that defined a generation’s childhood.
The new cast takes shape
The new adaptation stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, alongside John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, according to Collider’s report.
The series is run by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod directing, and it premieres on December 25, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max — a Christmas Day launch for one of the most closely watched adaptations ever made.
A franchise that keeps going
The Harry Potter world has not stood still while the new series was being made. Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, the Food Network competition series, is currently airing its third season, and the franchise remains one of Warner Bros.’ most valuable properties. The new series will adapt the books across multiple seasons, with the first covering Harry’s first year at Hogwarts.
For the Phelps twins, the letters are a small act with a large meaning: the actors who were the Weasley twins are welcoming the boys who will be the Weasley twins next. Whether the Harlands reply in kind is their business — but the handover, at least, has begun with grace.
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