NEED TO KNOW
Daniel Radcliffe has been in touch with Dominic McLaughlin, the actor slated to star as Harry Potter in the franchise’s forthcoming HBO seriesRadcliffe, who played the wizard from 2001 to 2011, shared on Good Morning America that the 11-year-old actor “sent me a very sweet note back”The upcoming series has been in production since July and will premiere in 2027

Daniel Radcliffe sent a letter to the next Harry Potter, but not through Hedwig.

While appearing on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Radcliffe was asked by Sam Champion about the forthcoming TV adaptation of Harry Potter, which is set to star 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin in the titular role previously held by Radcliffe, 36.

“I wouldn’t say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [reach out],” Radcliffe said. “And I have a very sweet, I know a few people who are working on the production so I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back.”

Radcliffe, who played The Boy Who Lived from 2001 through 2011 in the eight-film series, added that he does “not want to be a specter in the light of these children,” referring to the cast including actors McLaughlin, Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger).

From left: Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout.

Courtesy of Aidan Monaghan/HBO

“I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time,’ “Radcliffe recalled of the note. “And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them.”

He added, “They just seem so young. I just look at them and say, ‘Oh it’s crazy I was doing that.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet and I hope they’re having a great time.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The forthcoming HBO series, which is an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s book series, kicked off production in July, and is set to premiere in 2027. It will adapt each of the franchise’s seven books into a separate season over the next few years.

While it features new cast members such as John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, the series also sees Warwick Davis reprising his role as Charms professor Filius Flitwick — so there should be plenty of familiarity for Potter fans.

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” HBO and Max chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said in a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2023.

The release added that “each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

Daniel Radcliffe on Oct. 5, 2025.

Rob Kim/Getty

While Radcliffe has confirmed that he wouldn’t be participating in the series, he told E! in May 2024 that he was “very excited to watch as an audience member.”

Radcliffe is now slated for play Every Brilliant Thing, which is set to preview starting on Feb. 21, 2026, at the Hudson Theatre, with opening night set for March 12. The strictly limited engagement runs through May 24.

Radcliffe told PEOPLE that he felt an immediate pull toward the project following his run on Merrily We Roll Along.

“After Merrily, which was — for me — a very long run of a musical, I was kind of like: okay, I’m probably good for a few years now,” Radcliffe said. “But then I read this script, and what this show is, is so exciting and different from anything else I’ve ever done before. That overriding feeling it gives me is like, ‘oh, you’re never going to be asked to do something like this again.’ The play is so totally unique in its own thing. Like, I just knew as soon as I read it, I can’t pass this up.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

HBO’s Harry Potter series will premiere in 2027.