Warner Bros.
Beloved Academy Award nominated actor John Lithgow, who turns 80 years old this year, is closing a deal to play Professor Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s highly-anticipated Harry Potter series. Previous reports indicated that Oscar winner Mark Rylance was the network’s top target for the role.
According to reports, HBO’s Harry Potter series is set to begin production this year ahead of its planned release in either late 2026 or early 2027. The plan is for the series, from writer/showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod, to run for a decade.
Most recently, John Lithgow had a role in the Best Picture-nominated drama Conclave alongside Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini. During five-decade-plus long career, Lithgow has been nominated for two Oscars, six Emmys, six Tonys (winning two), four Grammys, and two Golden Globe awards.
In the highly-successful Harry Potter films, Dumbledore was portrayed by Richard Harris in two films prior to his death, before the role was taken over by the late Michael Gambon. Jude Law also played the character in the received Fantastic Beasts prequels. Dumbledore is considered to be the most powerful wizard in the main Harry Potter story other than the villainous Lord Voldemort.
“HBO declined to comment. ‘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.’”
“Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, at the time of the original announcement called the show a ‘faithful adaptation’ of J.K. Rowling’s novels which will ‘dive deep into each of the iconic books.’ Some 32,000 kids sent audition tapes for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron, with the selection progressing.” [via Deadline]
If/when Lithgow signs on, he’ll be the first actor officially cast in the project. Lithgow began acting in the 1970s and has siince starred in over 50 films, such as All That Jazz, The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment, Footloose, The Pelican Brief, Shrek (he voices Lord Farquaad), Dreamgirls, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar, The Accountant, Killers of the Flower Moon, and many more.
Late last year, former Potter franchise star Ralph Fiennes, who starred in the series as the iconic villain Lord Voldemort, said that Cillian Murphy taking over the role is a “wonderful suggestion” that he would be “all in favor of.”
Elsewhere, reports indicate that HBO was eyeing 34-year-old English actor Paapa Essiedu for the role of Professor Severus Snape and Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein for Hagrid, the beloved groundskeeper at Hogwarts.