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

HBO's highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series has reportedly secured its first major casting: John Lithgow will portray Professor Dumbledore.

While not yet officially confirmed by HBO or Warner Bros., Lithgow himself confirmed his involvement in an interview with ScreenRant. He described the role as a significant undertaking, stating it will define the "last chapter" of his career. He humorously noted he'll be approximately 87 years old by the time filming wraps.

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This marks the first casting announcement for the series, which will adapt all seven J.K. Rowling books into a new television adaptation. Rowling will serve as an executive producer alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. The series will feature an entirely new cast portraying iconic characters like Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

The lack of a full cast suggests the project is still in the early stages of development and some time away from production.

Lithgow, a celebrated actor with a long and distinguished career, is known for roles such as Dick Solomon in "3rd Rock from the Sun" and his Emmy-winning portrayal of Winston Churchill in Netflix's "The Crown."