John Lithgow Poised to Portray Albus Dumbledore in Upcoming Harry Potter Series

Television

Six-time Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow is in negotiations to play the beloved character of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO MAX series adaptation of the Harry Potter novels, according to a Deadline exclusive article. Over the past few months, rumors have abounded about this high profile television series, with various known and unknown actors supposedly poised to play several iconic characters, such as Paapa Essiedu for Potions Master Severus Snape, Sharon Horgan and Lesley Manville for Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Brett Goldstein for Hogwarts’ gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, and even Oscar winner Cillian Murphy for Lord Voldemort.

Dumbledore has been portrayed by the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the Harry Potter movie franchise, with Jude Law portraying the younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films. While all selected actors are from the U.K. and Lithgow is American, the actor has played British characters, such as his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Crown, for which he won the most recent of his six Emmy Awards. Other well-known roles of his include the voice of Lord Farquaad in the first Shrek film and two hit television series, 3rd Rock from the Sun and Dexter. 

Lithgow is the first actor on track to become an official member of the Harry Potter cast after many months of casting speculation. Additionally, about 32,000 kids sent audition tapes for the lead roles of the Golden Trio (Harry, Hermione, and Ron), with the selection ongoing.

As a fan of this beloved series, it is difficult to get one’s hopes up, particularly when fans have had their visions of the characters and world for so long, along with the film portrayals that many of us have grown up with, regardless of having read all seven novels. Any chosen candidate for this show’s cast will be nitpicked and scrutinized to no end, but as passionate fans, it’s our hope that the showrunners will take much heed in the creator herself’s final say, should it be true with J.K. Rowling’s huge involvement that this series will be a faithful adaptation of her novels. 

There is also the small detail of Lithgow being American and not British, much to the chagrin of many, yet as mentioned before, the actor does indeed have a wide range and, therefore, could easily surprise us all with a phenomenal performance as the Hogwarts Headmaster. All that matters to me at this point is that the characters actually look how they’re described in the text, and the best actor/actress is chosen for their roles in that regard, as well as being able to play the character well, which is honestly all we fans desire after so many great Hollywood disappointments in both film and TV. 

I will comment here: many may not be aware that J.K. Rowling also writes a crime/mystery series, Cormoran Strike, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, which is currently ongoing and has also been adapted as a TV series called C.B. Strike on the BBC. Thus far, the cast portrayals for this particular series have been very well done. That gives me some hope that J.K. Rowling will also be diligent in keeping accurate to the books with this upcoming Harry Potter series, although that remains to be seen, what with the rumors surrounding the casting of Snape. 

The Harry Potter TV series will be filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, where the movies were shot, and is slated to debut on HBO in late 2026 or early 2027.

Now, I open the floor to you, dear readers. What are your thoughts on this casting? Excited, upset, cautiously optimistic, or feeling entirely hopeless? Please let us know in the comments below!

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