If Harry Potter were made today: the adult cast

Professor Albus Dumbledore

I know I'm breaking J. K. Rowling's "British actors for British characters" rule but Mr. Plummer's got it all: The age, the height, the silver hair, the wit, the natural authority, the mischievous twinkle in his eye... He's about as perfect a Dumbledore as we could ever get.

Lord Voldemort

He has the potential to be even better than the great Ralph Fiennes. His vocal versatility, intense physicality and explosive charisma have more than made his case as a villain in films like "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Revenant" but I'd love his Voldemort to tap on his more subdued charm as well. Above all, it's important to keep letting his eyes express themselves unfettered as they do in all his best performances so that would, once again, mean abandoning the red eyes.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

A previous version of this list had Lindsay Duncan in the role. While she would have been very good, Logan has a kind of droll austerity that would fit McGonagall perfectly.

Professor Severus Snape

Likewise, Alan Rickman's Snape is as iconically perfect a rendition of the character as we are ever likely to get. That being said, Strong's dark magnetism, intimidating presence and pensively calculating gaze - to say nothing of his prominent nose and propensity for wigs - make him ideally suited for the role as well.

Professor Rubeus Hagrid

It's virtually impossible to imagine anyone but Robbie Coltrane as everyone's favourite gamekeeper but if anyone can step in these (half) giant shoes, it's the ever-chameleonic Molina. He's got the size, the dark hair, the proficiency with accents and most importantly the human warmth and generosity required to bring Harry's first true friend to life.

Sirius Black

Try telling me he wouldn't bring the perfect balance of brooding dreams of youthful rebellion and hard-earned sageness that made Sirius such a marvelously flawed father figure.

Remus Lupin

He radiates the exact kind of weary inner strength and kindness you picture when reading Lupin's scenes.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Another violation of Rowling's Rule but it's impossible for me NOT to picture her as Bellatrix. She may be a bit younger than her character is meant to be but her performances in "White Bird In A Blizzard", "Cracks", "Womb" and "300: Rise Of An Empire" showed she can explore irreparably broken psyches with a poise that can let in just enough camp when required without losing an inch of conviction.

Professor Dolores Umbridge

I had previously suggested Emily Watson for the role. While I still think she would be an excellent Umbridge, Brenda Blethyn not only looks the part more but has a genuine vulnerable sweetness to her that she could easily poison into something really unsettling.

Professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody

I think this choice is pretty self-explanatory.

Lucius Malfoy

Just look at him in the otherwise abominable "Die Another Day". Or anything really.

Professor Sybil Trelawney

Think Emma Thompson's Trelawney with an added suggestion of off-beat creepiness.

Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew

Exactly the right size, build and even hair that I pictured Pettigrew as having. As versatile and talented an actor as Timothy Spall, more than worthy of sharing the character with him.

Professor Horace Slughorn

He might need to shave his beard into a moustache, perhaps even put on a few pounds or wear a fatsuit. Even without those alterations, he'd still make a wonderful Slughorn.

Professor Gilderoy Lockhart

As fun as Kenneth Branagh's turn was in "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets", I never completely bought the idea of him as a swoon-inducing hunk. Luke Evans, who has proven himself to be at his most interesting in outlandish supporting roles (see "High-Rise"), would be much more convincing. Just dye his hair blond.

Professor Filius Flitwick

Only saw him in that dreadful TV adaptation of "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe" but he was quite good in it. Best put his talents to better use.

Arthur Weasley

A talented, very versatile actor who's been quite present on the British & Irish independent scene. Good fit for Mr. Weasley's nerdiness.

Molly Weasley

Julie Walters is another hard act to follow but I'm quite confident Davis could do it, especially as a younger 40-something Mrs. Weasley.

Cornelius Fudge

It's hard for me not to hear his voice when reading Fudge's lines and I just can't get the picture of him in a green bowler hat out of my head.

Rufus Scrimgeour

It may be a small part but it's a part Dance could imbue with all the necessary grimness and gravitas, especially if we're going with an amoral portrayal of the character that's closer to the book.

Rita Skeeter

Do I need to explain myself further?

Peeves

I've always found Hill somewhat annoying even as I admit that his comedy can be effective, so I guess it's an even match for Hogwarts's troublesome poltergeist.

Argus Filch

Appropriately creepy and grimly funny to work. Just don't devolve Filch too rapidly into comic relief like the films did from "Goblet Of Fire" onwards.

Professor Quirinus Quirrell

I haven't seen his recent work but he certainly looks both nebbish and off-beat enough to work. I think it's important to emphasize Quirrell's youth. The idea of an 11 year-old facing off against someone just old enough to be his big brother is quite disturbing.

Bartemius Crouch Jr.

Just youthful-looking enough to play him both in the Pensieve flashback as a scared boy barely out of his teens and as a demented 30-something fanatic.

Bartemius Crouch Sr.

He's got the crafty steel to play the cold-heartedly ambitious Crouch from the First Wizarding War and the tired rigour to play the heartbroken, depressed, mind-controlled shell of a man we see in present day.

Vernon Dursley

All he really needs is the moustache.

Petunia Dursley

Looks and sounds exactly how I always pictured Petunia.

Professor Pomona Sprout

She apparently auditioned for Molly Weasley in Chamber Of Secrets but she fits Professor Sprout's description to a T as well.

Dobby (voice)

As long as he's carefully directed so as not to sound too 3PO-like, he should perform well.

Kreacher (voice)

I'm a sucker for comedians/comic actors playing darker roles. Idle has already pulled off mean-spirited characters before, he'd do a fine Kreacher.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

He's got the dark good looks needed for the part and is good enough as an actor to be imagined as an efficient charmer of tools to further his agenda.

Fenrir Greyback

Not only is he a formidable physical presence but his voice acting portfolio demonstrates considerable range. Perfect for a memorable supporting villain who got something of a short thrift in the films.

Ludovic "Ludo" Bagman

Bagman was understandably cut from the film version of "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" for time constraints. In a TV series, Wilkinson would be well-positioned to give one of the book's more ambiguous characters all the necessary legroom to grow and imprint on our minds.

Winky (voice)

Another character cut from the film version of book 4. I can't read her lines without hearing Horrocks' voice.

Xenophilius Lovegood

Malcolm McDowell is an inventive actor who has shined in many other roles than the villains he's been frequently typecast as. Seeing him play an eccentric, flawed and loving father would be both refreshing and exciting.

Sir Nicholas "Nearly-Headless Nick" De Mimsy-Porpington

Hey, we've had one Monty Python member play him in the films. Why not get another to play him again if the opportunity arose?

Poppy Pomfrey

A good, somewhat underrated actress and voice actress. Her presence would likely inspire more than a few amused smiles considering her previous role as Doctor Chakwas in the "Mass Effect" game trilogy.

Nymphadora Tonks

After her fearless lead performance in "The Diary Of A Teenage Girl", a supporting role like Tonks may seem like a step down but it's one she would make unforgettable.

Narcissa Malfoy

She's played spoilt and cruel for laughs in "My Family" so it'd be interesting to see her play it for drama here, in a more complex role.

Aberforth Dumbledore

Like in the films, the character would likely have to be played by a virtual unknown in "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix" before a bigger name is accordingly cast for his bigger part in film/season 7 or 8. I always imagined Aberforth sounded a bit like a grumpy, cynical-sounding Caine.

Garrick Ollivander

While he may be physically larger than the Ollivander from either the books or the films, his deep rasp voice and entrancing blue eyes suit the character perfectly.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

He will always be the first person I think about whenever I read that character's name.

Griphook

Hasn't done much work recently. Why not cast him as the Potterverse's most prominent goblin?

Helena "The Grey Lady" Ravenclaw

It might be a bit weird to see a well-known actress float around in the background for six or seven films/seasons without saying a word so she'd probably have to be played by an extra for most of the story's duration. Once we get to "The Deathly Hallows" though, we can count on Agyeman to deliver the goods.

Professor Igor Karkaroff

Just give him a goatee.

Professor Olympe Maxime

It's surprisingly hard to find a French-speaking actress who answers to Madame Maxime's description but Aure Atika fits the bill!

Professor Amycus Carrow

See the opening of "V For Vendetta" for further explanation.

Professor Alecto Carrow

Most audiences may know her as Mrs. Hoggett from the "Babe" films but she also showed an entertainingly nasty streak in Steve Irwin's otherwise terrible "Crocodile Hunter" film.

Aragog (voice)

I had previously suggested Freddie Jones for the role but he has since sadly passed. David "Corypheus" Sterne has the perfect sinister timbre to play an ancient talking arachnid.

Arabella Figg

Wouldn't it be nice to see one of the leads from one of British TV's most controversially groundbreaking shows back in something big, even if just for a fairly small but significant role?

Marvolo Gaunt

He may be at least 20 years younger than Voldemort's grandfather probably was at the time of Bob Ogden's fateful visit but anyone who's seen Clio Barnard's masterpiece "The Selfish Giant" will know the fearsome presence Sean Gilder would imbue him with.

Morfin Gaunt

Don't think there's much persuasion needed here is there?

Merope Gaunt Riddle

May be a slightly bigger name than necessary for a part with very few lines but it's a crucial character in both Voldemort's biography and in the recurring theme of true (and false) love.

Amelia Bones

I always imagined Madam Bones to sound something like Penelope Keith.

Bob Ogden

For some reason, I've always imagined Bob Ogden as a Liverpudlian.

Amos Diggory

He may have lost his British accent from working and living in the US but I'm sure he could still do a convincing one.