14 years since the movies wrapped up, there’s a lot going on with the Harry Potter franchise right now. For a while, the future of the saga seemed uncertain: Warner Bros’ only attempt at a spinoff, Fantastic Beasts, had a strong first movie, but was later marred by controversy, and the sequels ended up falling flat with critics and at the box office, so much so that the original five-movie plan will almost certainly never happen. Instead, the vision for the present and future of Harry Potter is now, perhaps inevitably, going back to the books.
HBO is developing its own remake of the series, turning it into a multi-season, big-budget TV show. But before then, there’s Audible’s new audiobook version which, for the first time, features a full-cast recording of the novels. All seven books will be recorded, and the first – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, of course – was released on November 4th, 2025. It is only available on Audible with a subscription, though a free trial is available for those who don’t subscribe yet and want to listen. The release dates for the other audiobooks are:
Audible has gone all-out for the full-cast recordings, with plenty of bells and whistles added in – there’s a new original score, and lots of sound effects that serve to make this a more immersive and rounded experience than “just” having the books read. But it’s the cast itself that is the most attention-grabbing, because, on paper, it’s even more impressive and star-studded than the one assembled for HBO’s remake.
Of those, Mark Addy as Hagrid and Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort are particularly inspired choices, but there are more exciting ones to come later in the series. Only time will tell how well they all work out, but some of these castings feel perfect: James McAvoy as Mad-Eye Moody, Simon Pegg as Arthur Weasley, and Ruth Wilson as Bellatrix Lestrange are all about as fitting choices as I can imagine for those characters, and it’s going to be very difficult for HBO’s Harry Potter TV show to find better than them.
The early reviews for Audible’s The Philosopher’s Stone adaptation are mostly positive, if not without some issues. CNET wrote that “the characters, music and sound effects come together to make a magical world feel tangible and lifelike in my mind.” Collider called the cast “absurdly good,” and said the “project is cinematic in every way.” Conversely, The Telegraph, in a more mixed review, opined that Hugh Laurie’s Dumbledore is “a dud.” Nonetheless, it seems like this will at least be an interesting and entertaining new way to experience the books, and hopefully the same will be said for the remake when it comes around.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Full-Cast Edition) is now available on Audible.
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