After reports that HBO was circling John Lithgow to portray Professor Dumbledore in its upcoming “Harry Potter” series, the actor has confirmed in a new interview that he is indeed taking the role. He expressed his excitement and nervousness at committing to such a role for so many years.
“It came as a total surprise to me. I got the phone call 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,” Lithgow told the fan site Screen Rant. “But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to ‘Harry Potter.’”
Lithgow was asked if he’s prepared to portray Dumbledore for seven seasons worth of television. Lithgow previously starred in six seasons of the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun,” which concluded in 2001. “That’s why it’s been such a hard decision,” he said. “I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
An individual with knowledge told IndieWire that Lithgow’s deal still hasn’t closed yet. HBO, in a statement, reiterated the same statement when news of Lithgow’s involvement previously broke: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
Should his deal close, Lithgow will follow in the footsteps of Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, and he’s the rare American to play a major role in the Harry Potter franchise (excluding the “Fantastic Beasts” films) after author J.K. Rowling previously requested to “Sorcerer’s Stone” director Chris Columbus that only British or UK actors star in the adaptations of her books. Lithgow has however portrayed Winston Churchill on “The Crown” and author Roald Dahl in a stage production.
No other cast has been formally announced for the Harry Potter series as of yet, which is showrun by writer Francesca Gardiner and also comes from director and executive producer Mark Mylod. However, the network has looked at tens of thousands of auditions to play the new Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, and there have been reports that “I May Destroy You” actor Paapa Essiedu was circling the role of Severus Snape. Other reports suggested that Mark Rylance was in the mix to play Dumbledore.
A Harry Potter series won’t hit HBO until at least the beginning of 2027, as HBO content chief Casey Bloys previously said. But the idea is to film seven seasons of the show, one for each of Rowling’s books, with the likelihood of shooting the first two seasons back to back to avoid the young actors getting too old in between seasons of television.
Lithgow most recently starred in “Conclave” and the Sundance drama “Jimpa.” Lithgow, along with the rest of the “Conclave” cast, won the Ensemble award from the SAG Awards this past weekend.
See Lithgow’s remarks on playing Dumbledore here.
