HBO's Harry Potter In Final Talks For Dumbledore With Totally Unexpected American Actor

The Harry Pottertelevision series is close to casting its Albus Dumbledore. The upcoming remake is adapting each of the seven original Harry Potter books, with Francesca Gardiner serving as showrunner and Mark Mylod as a director and executive producer. Mark Rylance was reportedly in prior talks to play Dumbledore in HBO's Harry Potter show. Other previously reported casting possibilities include Brett Goldstein as Rubeus Hagrid and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.

According to Deadline, John Lithgow is now entering final negotiations to play Dumbledore. The casting of Dumbledore has not yet been officially announced by HBO, nor have any of the other roles in the highly anticipated reboot, although it is confirmed that over 32,000 children auditioned for the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Filming is set to begin in the summer of 2025, with an anticipated season 1 debut on HBO in late 2026 or early 2027.

What This Means For The Harry Potter Show

Dumbledore May Be The First Character To Be Officially Cast

Depending on how the final negotiations proceed, Lithgow could be the first officially announced cast member of HBO's Harry Potter series. He could become the face of the series, at least until the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione are revealed. HBO may want to begin revealing the cast via the well-known actors playing the adults, including the wise Headmaster of Hogwarts, before showcasing the newcomers who will grow up playing the iconic trio.

Lithgow being close to getting cast as Dumbledore does come as a surprise after the reports of Rylance being in contention for the role. If Rylance is no longer in the conversation to play Dumbledore, this also throws into question whether Goldstein, Essiedu, and other rumored actors are still in talks for the show as well. With production scheduled to begin this summer, the casting of Dumbledore and all other major characters should be finalized and formally announced in the coming months.

Our Take On John Lithgow Playing Albus Dumbledore

It Raises Numerous Questions About The Show

John Lithgow as Trinity Killer smiling in an office in Dexter

Lithgow is a surprising choice on many levels to be the next Dumbledore after seeing the role previously played by Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Jude Law. Rylance seemed like the perfect choice given his ability to play many characters who have been benevolent, wise, or eccentric. Lithgow tends to excel at playing characters who are sinister, comedic, or a combination of both. Dumbledore has his flaws and makes some questionable choices, but he is not a sinister character, and his sense of humor is a stark juxtaposition from Lithgow's usual comedy.

Based on the memorable characters Lithgow has played in Dexter, Shrek, How I Met Your Mother, and many of his other projects, he does seem like the best choice to play a book-accurate version of Dumbledore.

The HBO reboot has been touted as being a faithful adaptation of the books, with each season adapting details that had to be cut due to the more limited runtime and pacing of the movies. Based on the memorable characters Lithgow has played in Dexter, Shrek, How I Met Your Mother, and many of his other projects, he does seem like the best choice to play a book-accurate version of Dumbledore. He is also an American actor, and even though he has played British characters before, this casting approach would mark a significant departure from the Harry Potter movies.

Source: Deadline