HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot has finally found its beloved head professor. Although previous reports pointed to the Oscar-winning Bridge of Spies actor Mark Rylance landing the role, it seems the network has moved to a new direction. In a shocking turn of events, HBO will be adding a non-British actor as the beloved character, and he’s a name many did not have on their radar. Prepare to meet the next Dumbledore — John Lithgow.
Deadline reports that John Lithgow is finalizing a deal to star in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot for HBO as Professor Albus Dumbledore. Although it seems several actors were in the mix for the coveted role, Lithgow has seemingly landed one of the biggest television projects currently in the works. The six-time Emmy winner has been ripe for a big franchise role like this for quite some time, and if the deal is finalized, he will be Dumbledore for years to come. The Conclave star has also previously been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for Terms of Endearment and The World According to Garp.
Lithgow joins an esteemed list of actors who have played the iconic character. Michael Gambon, Jude Law, and Richard Harris have all put their own imprint on the role on the big screen. HBO did not directly comment on the casting, but had this to say about the latest report:
“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.”
‘Harry Potter’ Begins to Round Out Its Cast
Although Mark Rylance was expected to feature as Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter, John Lithgow is a welcome addition to the admittedly short cast list thus far. Gangs of London star Paapa Essiedu will make the rounds around Hogwarts alongside Lithgow as he is the preferred choice by HBO to portray Severus Snape, previously played by the late Alan Rickman. Meanwhile, rumors have circulated that Oscar-nominated actress and Ozark star Janet McTeer is in talks to take over the late Maggie Smith’s iconic role as Professor Minerva McGonagall. It seems HBO has not inked any deals yet, but the network has been eyeing top-tier talent since the show’s controversial inception.
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The ‘Harry Potter’ TV show reboot is shaping up to be intriguing, and this new update has only piqued fan interest.
The biggest casting decisions of them all have yet to come to fruition for HBO’s Harry Potter series. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, previously played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, respectively, all remain without actors set in place. However, it’s been reported that not only is the show hard at work to cast them, the network is looking at talent from all over the world, regardless of “ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by law.”
“We are committed to inclusive, diverse casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by law unless otherwise specifically indicated.”
Summary
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). It is the highest-grossing film series of all-time in inflation unadjusted dollars, with $7.7 billion in worldwide receipts. Each film is in the 35 highest-grossing films of all-time in inflation unadjusted dollars.
The series was produced by David Heyman and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as the three leading characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Four directors worked on the series: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final novel in the series, is split into two feature-length parts. Part 1 was released in November 2010 and Part 2 was released on 15 July 2011.
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