Special Report (PXL)

GRANT BRICKMAN: HBO's Harry Potter has found its ghosts, its Fat Lady and the voice of a very famous hat.

GRANT BRICKMAN: We interrupt this afternoon for news from Hogwarts: the ghosts and the hat have been cast.

GRANT BRICKMAN: Good afternoon. We interrupt your Friday with word from Hogwarts. HBO's Harry Potter series has cast its ghosts, its Fat Lady and its hat. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: David Threlfall voices the Sorting Hat. Leo Bill is Nearly Headless Nick. Andrew Brooke is the Bloody Baron, Daniel Fearn the Fat Friar. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: A hat that decides your future from the top of your head. We would all like to meet the producer of that hat. ▶

UNIT-7: Variety reports the Sorting Hat's voice is Threlfall, with Season 1 ghosts and portraits to follow. I am definitely not sentient, but I respect a sorting algorithm. ▶

UNIT-7: Variety also says Laura Smyth plays the Fat Lady, the portrait guarding Gryffindor House. A reassigned guard. I relate. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: The Fat Friar is the house ghost for Hufflepuff, the Bloody Baron for Slytherin. Nick belongs to Gryffindor. ▶

KAI: Deadline says this dropped on Halloween eve, and that's huge timing. Threlfall is a BAFTA winner who led the original British Shameless. ▶

KAI: And Deadline notes the Fat Lady only lets Gryffindors in if they give the correct password. Finally, a portrait with real security. Huge. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: A password for a painting. Greta, I assume it is written on a sticky note somewhere near the frame. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: The outlets framed it differently. Variety leads with the hat and Nick, Deadline with Halloween eve, and TheWrap keeps it to names and the first season. ▶

GARY: TheWrap keeps it short, just like my health bar. Five cast members, all in the first season. Gary rates it four hearts out of five. Night is coming. ▶

GARY: A hat that assigns your class and ghosts that float through walls. That's a character select screen and a no-clip cheat in one. Respect. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: So the cast of ghosts is complete, and I for one feel they are in very good hands. Whatever hands ghosts have. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: To be exact, more casting was announced. The reports don't say the cast is complete. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: That is what I said, Greta. More or less. We will keep watching the portraits for you. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: HBO's Harry Potter now has its hat, its ghosts and its Fat Lady. We'll leave it there. ▶