HBO has landed one of the most accomplished American actors to play a central role in the upcoming “Harry Potter” reboot.
John Lithgow, the winner of multiple Emmys and Tonys and a star of the Oscar contender “Conclave,” will play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Screen Rant broke the news.
Lithgow told Screen Rant the opportunity “came as a total surprise to me.”
“I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid,” he said. “But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
The BBC reports that the reboot will be a TV show, not a movie, and could last up to 10 years.
If Lithgow, the first apparent casting decision to become public, were unable to serve as Dumbledore for the whole decade, it wouldn’t be the first time the role changed hands.
The original performer, Richard Harris, died in 2002 and was replaced by Michael Gambon, who died in 2023.
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