John Lithgow Reveals He'll Play Dumbledore in HBO's Harry Potter TV Series

HBO's highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series is making headway, with a significant casting announcement: the legendary John Lithgow is set to portray the iconic Professor Dumbledore. While not officially confirmed by HBO or Warner Bros. yet, Lithgow himself confirmed the news in an interview with ScreenRant.

Lithgow shared that the offer came as a surprise, stating, “Well, it 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 added, “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.”

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This is the first casting confirmation for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

This marks the first official casting announcement for the series, although HBO and Warner Bros. have yet to formally confirm Lithgow's involvement. The series plans to re-adapt all of J.K. Rowling's books for television, featuring an entirely new cast portraying beloved characters like Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the Hogwarts faculty. Rowling will serve as executive producer alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts.

While Lithgow's casting is a significant development, the lack of a complete cast suggests the show is still in its early stages of production.

Lithgow, a highly acclaimed actor with a prolific career in film and television, is perhaps best known for his role as Dick Solomon in "3rd Rock from the Sun." He also garnered critical acclaim and an Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the first season of Netflix's "The Crown."