Television British pair behind Succession are handed the keys to Hogwarts

Feuding children with more power than sense, an unpredictable old man who knows much more than he lets on and an institution staffed by people with ulterior motives. Is it any surprise, then, that when it came to its highly anticipated TV adaptation of Harry Potter, HBO bosses opted for two of the brains behind Succession?

- Nadia Khomami

The company's first official casting announcement for its "decade-long" Potter series put the wizarding world back in the spotlight this week. And imbued with the power to make or break the fandom's dreams are Succession alumni Francesca Gardiner, who serves as showrunner, and Mark Mylod, who will direct multiple episodes. The Britons will also serve as executive producers alongside J.K. Rowling, who interviewed them and praised their "genuine passion" for the books.

"Having read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations," the author said after a four-month selection process. But what is known of the pair given the keys to Hogwarts?

Mylod was born in the Devon market town of Newton Abbot in 1965 - his mother was a factory worker, his father a policeman - and dropped out of school at 17 to seek success in London theatre.

"I had no qualifications," he told the LA Times. "I never wanted to be an actor, but I did have fantasies of being a director."