John Lithgow is reportedly closing in on a deal with Warner Bros. to play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO adaptation of the Harry Potter franchise.
While HBO and Warner Bros. have yet to confirm the casting news, Deadline was the first to report on it and Variety has confirmed Lithgow's contention for the role with sources. This news comes after Mark Rylance was reported to be up for the role back in November.
In Harry Potter, Dumbledore is the wise headmaster of the wizarding school, Hogwarts. He is portrayed as a caring yet mysterious person who mentors Harry and his friends in their fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort. Should the deal be finalized, Lithgow would be the fifth actor to play the role onscreen. Richard Harris played the character in the first two films while Michael Gambon took over, following Harris' death. Jude Law played a younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts films while Toby Regbo played the character in a variety of flashbacks.
Lithgow is a highly respected actor, known for his work in films such as Terms of Endearment, The World According to Garp, and Love is Strange, as well as television shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun and Dexter. Lithgow would also become the first American to play the character, but he does have experience playing British characters, as evidenced by his Emmy-nominated performance as Winston Churchill on The Crown.
In addition to Lithgow, the series is also reportedly eyeing I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu for the role of the mysterious Severus Snape. The main trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione are likely to be played by newcomers — Warner Bros. launched an open casting call back in the fall of 2024 for children between the ages of nine and 11. A reported 32,000 kids are said to have auditioned for the three leads.
The show will be helmed by the Succession duo of Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod. Gardiner, who was a consulting producer on the third and fourth seasons of the HBO drama, will serve as showrunner and executive producer, while Mylod, who directed 16 episodes of Succession, will direct multiple episodes and executive produce. The show, which is said to be a faithful adaptation of the novels by J.K Rowling -- who is involved in the creation of the show -- is set to start shooting in the summer. It's expected to air in 2026 or 2027. ~Ryan Donahue