John Lithgow Explains His Harry Potter Preparation For Albus Dumbledore

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Summary

  • John Lithgow confirmed as Professor Dumbledore for HBO’s Harry Potter reboot.
  • Production starts in 2025 at Warner Bros.; first season to air 2026/2027.
  • Lithgow preparing for role; not expected to be challenging, but fans already excited.

Currently, John Lithgow stands as the only actor officially confirmed for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot. Known for his Emmy Award-winning performances, Lithgow will portray Professor Albus Dumbledore in the series. This casting news has sparked enthusiasm among fans globally, and Lithgow is now diligently preparing to embody this legendary character with conviction.

It appears that HBO’s Harry Potter series is set to start shooting during the summer of 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, which happens to be the very same place where the original films were made.

I’m eagerly anticipating the debut of the first season, scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027. Consequently, John Lithgow is currently preparing himself to embody Albus Dumbledore as Hogwarts headmaster, pondering the nuances of his character and role.

Lithgow recently shared insights with The Hollywood Reporter regarding his upcoming role, stating, “The entire revamp of Harry Potter will dedicate an entire season to a single book.” He confessed that he is currently in the middle of reading the second book to gather as much information about the story as possible. However, when asked about how long he’ll be filming for, he replied, “To be honest, I’m not sure. I was in England for eight months for The Crown and barely returned [to the U.S.]. I think I may have come back once or twice. I imagine I can return more often now. You see, Dumbledore is a sort of powerful weapon that isn’t used frequently. I don’t believe it will be too taxing, and we’ll just go back and forth.

Lithgow might not think the role he’s taking on will be challenging, but he’s already discovered the sheer size of the Harry Potter fanbase. He shared, “It’s hard to believe, but even before the deal was officially announced, just 48 hours ago, and in airports two weeks ago, some people were already aware of this and were stopping me.

To date, no actor has been confirmed for the roles, but HBO has been conducting auditions for the primary characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. These characters are pivotal to the storyline. Meanwhile, there’s speculation that Paapa Essiedu might be under consideration for Severus Snape, while it’s reported that Jane McTeer from Ozark is in negotiations with HBO regarding portraying Minerva McGonagall.

Making Lithgow part of the Harry Potter cast was an adventurous move, given that he’s an American actor, unlike the original films. For major roles like this one, they usually opted for British actors. However, HBO wants their adaptation of Harry Potter to be distinctive and unique, and these casting choices are definitely achieving that goal. It remains unclear if Lithgow will be the only American in the cast, but he’s expected to adopt a British accent regardless. His inclusion in the series has sparked much discussion and anticipation for the show, making it a significant decision even before filming started.

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2025-03-25 23:04