Six-time Emmy winner John Lithgow is nearing a deal to play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter television series. Deadline is reporting that Lithgow is in final negotiations for the adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy books.
HBO declined to comment on the casting with this quote:
“We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
The new series is set to be a crown jewel in the HBO lineup for over a decade. It comes from Writer/Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod. The original announcement of the show called it a faithful adaptation of the novels that will deep dive into each of the iconic books.
Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the Wizarding World and the headmaster of Hogwarts. He also leads the Order of the Phoenix, a powerful group devoted to fighting the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort.
In the original films, Dumbledore was portrayed by the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. Jude Law played a younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films.
Wait, Wait, Wait, John Lithgow Is American…
It seems that the original mandate of the Harry Potter films that everyone has to be British is over. Lithgow has played British characters in his career before. He recently played what could be the most British-linked person in human history with his portrayal of Winston Churchill on The Crown.
The Harry Potter TV Series will film at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, which is where the movies were shot, and is slated to debut on HBO in late 2026 or 2027.
Lithgow is the first actor to sign or be close to a deal on the show. Fans have been rumor casting and Deadline lists Paapa Essiedu for Potions Master Snape and Sharon Horgan and Lesley Manville for Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall to Brett Goldstein for Hogwarts’ gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid and even Oscar winner Cillian Murphy for Lord Voldemort, with Ralph Fiennes, who played the role in the films, backing the idea.
There have been an additional 32,000 kids that sent in audition tapes to play Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
We’ll keep you updated on the Harry Potter series as we get more news.
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Source: Deadline
