John Lithgow is the first star confirmed for HBO’sHarry PotterTV series, in which he’ll playHogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. While Lithgow is excited to take the baton from the late Michael Gambon, the legendary actor had some reservations about the reboot at first. “My first question is, ‘Do we really need this?’ There have been wonderfulHarry Potterfilms and books,” Lithgow tells MovieWeb, “And people know the books by heart.”
While it’s been close to 14 years since the final installment in theHarry Potterfilm franchise, many fans wondered ifHBO’s new rebootwas necessary. Now that Lithgow has confirmed his casting as wizarding icon Albus Dumbledore,it’s only a matter of time before we learn who will play lead protagonists Harry, Ron, and Hermione.Production on Season 1 is scheduled to start in April 2025 with a tentative release date of 2026 or 2027.
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To oversee the newHarry Potterseries, HBO tappedSuccessionalums Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod. “They have a whole vision for how to make [Harry Potter] brand new,” Lithgow says of the duo. On the subject of playing one of the most beloved wizards in movie history, Lithgow says:
“It’s also a great old man’s part, which is going to last a few years. And it’s a good time in my life to be thinking about, ‘Well, how do I want to close this thing out?’ So I’m very excited about it.”
While HBO has yet to reveal additional casting, rumors have suggested thatJanet McTeer (Ozark) is up for Professor Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu (Gangs of London) for Severus Snape. SinceHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonefeatures young versions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the producers are searching worldwide for actors between the ages of 9 and 11.
John Lithgow Has Big Shoes To Fill in ‘Harry Potter’
The first twoHarry Pottermovies starred legendary actor Richard Harris as Hogwarts headmaster and Potter ally Albus Dumbledore. Sadly, Harris died beforeThe Chamber of Secretsopened in 2002, andMichael Gambon(Gosford Park) took over the role for the rest of the film series, leaving behind an indelible legacy and some very big shoes to fill. While there was some uncertainty about Gambon’s casting at first, most fans couldn’t imagine anyone else taking on the role of Albus Dumbledore – which is why the response to Lithgow’s casting is so refreshing.
According to Lithgow, the overwhelmingly positive response to his casting in theHarry Potterseries is among the best he’s experienced:
“I have never experienced such excitement from people just getting news. ‘Oh God, of course. Hey, you’re the perfect Dumbledore.’ Like, What? What? I must say, I was a huge fan of Michael Gambon, a man I never met, and I thought he was completely wonderful as Dumbledore.”
Lithgow left us with a bit of trivia – “an uncanny factoid,” he calls it – that makes his Dumbledore casting feel a little extra magical: “[Michael Gambon] and I have the same birthday!”
