Harry Potter’s fourth live-action Dumbledore could be John Lithgow
A magic cast is assembling for HBO's Harry Potter TV show
Hogwarts' new headmaster might be ready to pick up that floaty quill and sign on for the upcoming HBO TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books.
Deadline is reporting that veteran actor John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun, The Crown, Terms of Endearment) is ready to don the robe of Albus Dumbledore, the iconic wizard of J. K. Rowling’s beloved magical franchise.
If true, Lithgow would become the fourth Hollywood star to take on the role. Cinema’s first Dumbledore was Richard Harris, and was recast following his death in 2002 by Michael Gambon, who became synonymous with the role over six films. The Fantastic Beasts prequel spin-offs had a younger Dumbledore, played by Jude Law.
Lithgow is a masterful actor, currently enjoying some awards season buzz with his appearance in Vatican drama Conclave. He’d be the first Dumbledore not to be English or Irish, being American, and at 79 years old, would be pushing 90 by the conclusion of what is planned as an epic 10 year retelling of the Harry Potter story.
More muggle casting rumours
HBO’s Harry Potter TV show is set to air in late 2026 or early 2027, and is being billed as a more “faithful” adaptation of the books than the Daniel Radcliffe-fronted movies were — not that I recall anyone claiming they were playing particularly fast and loose with the source material. We’re guessing it’s more the potential here to deep-dive into each novel thanks to the extended run-time a TV show allows for — each series here is expected to cover one book.
Such a high-profile franchise is obviously being met with feverish anticipation — and a healthy dose of trepidation — from series fans. The Potter franchise remains massively popular, but its creator J. K. Rowling alienated a large amount of the fanbase with her anti-trans stance, while recasting iconic roles, when the original films were so perfect in that respect, will need to be expertly considered.
So far, we’ve heard Cillian Murphy being lined up for villain Voldemort (something that previous Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes, is said to be in favour of), Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein as Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and both Sharon Horgan and Lesley Manville for McGonagall. There was also a previous rumour that saw Mark Rylance in the Dumbledore role — arguably a more natural fit than Lithgow.
As for the kids? 32,000 audition tapes are being sifted through right now as HBO looks to find its perfect new Harry, Hermione and Ron. That Sorting Hat is going to be kept very busy.
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Variety / Getty Images