A whole new generation of children are about to get a metaphorical Hogwarts acceptance letter in the post, with the release of the new Harry Potter reboot coming later this year.
HBO Max’s upcoming Harry Potter series is set to return to the spellbinding universe created by JK Rowling, revisiting the story of ‘The Boy Who Lived’ and ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ in a fresh television format.
This time, each of the seven novels will be expanded into its own season, meaning the young actors cast as Harry, Ron and Hermione are expected to spend far longer on screen than the stars of the original films—whose paydays climbed into the millions.
So far, with only an initial trailer released and the show slated to arrive at Christmas 2026, viewers have limited details to pore over. Even so, entertainment industry chatter suggests estimated figures are already circulating for what the new child leads could earn.
According to salaries attributed to the Sun, the trio at the centre of the series are likely to rank among the UK’s top-earning child performers—although the numbers being reported don’t quite match what Daniel Radcliffe received for his first outing.
Radcliffe was famously paid £1 million for The Philosopher’s Stone. By comparison, his reported TV successor, Daniel McLaughlin, is said to be set for a £500,000 ($662,686) fee for season one.
Where the reboot is thought to differ from the early film days is in the alleged parity between the friends. The actors playing Ron Weasley (Alastair Stout) and Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton) are reportedly positioned to earn more than Rupert Grint and Emma Watson did when the franchise began on the big screen.
Back then, Grint and Watson—both newcomers—were widely reported to have taken home far less than Radcliffe, with figures of around £175,000 ($231,809) often cited.
For the HBO adaptation, however, the Sun report claims Stanton and Stout will match McLaughlin’s season-one salary, meaning each would earn £500,000 for their work on the opening run.
A showbiz insider told the publication that this would only be the starting point, suggesting the children are well ‘on track to be multi-millionaires before they turn 18’.
With six further seasons expected after Philosopher’s Stone, that pay structure would put them at a minimum of £3 million apiece by adulthood—before any increases that could come with strong ratings, renewals, or renegotiated deals.
The long-term earnings potential is underscored by the original film saga. Radcliffe’s fees swelled dramatically as the franchise grew, with estimates placing his total take across all eight movies at roughly £94 million ($124.5 million), including around £15 million for Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
