HBO’s New Dumbledore Confirmed, But Harry Potter Fans Have One Huge Concern

Despite its release date quickly approaching, there hasn’t been much saying about HBO’s upcoming show about Harry Potter so far. The project was announced back in 2024 and since then had nothing else to share but some vague details about its casting, the rumours about which at some point even caused controversies among fans.

However, after months of speculation, the future series has finally made a huge step forward as it was officially confirmed to have found its Dumbledore.

Naturally, the actor might indeed be a great finding for the Harry Potter story and a worthy addition to the franchise, though the original movie series’ fans have just one reason to have doubts.

John Lithgow Is Confirmed to Portray Dumbledore in HBO’s Harry Potter Show

Despite quite low expectations from a modernised version of the old story, the upcoming series has just got closer to becoming a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s book series since John Lithgow is now officially cast as the Hogwarts Headmaster.

The actor confirmed it in an interview with ScreenRant, revealing that he’s excited to become a crucial part of Harry Potter’s cinematic universe, even though the decision to accept the role wasn’t as easy as one could’ve expected.

“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. But I'm very excited”, Lithgow stated.

He also added that he’s glad to see the industry getting back to Harry Potter, despite the actor himself being “about 87 years old at the wrap party”.

John Lithgow’s Age Is What Concerns Harry Potter Fans Too

In the interview, the actor clearly stated his concern for planning such an ambitious project at the age of 79, and it’s fair to say Harry Potter’s fans share his fears.

On Reddit, the news garnered a lot of attention, though this time it had nothing to do with fans’ disbelief in Lithgow’s ability to portray Dumbledore; quite the opposite though, but some users still admitted there’s chance that HBO will “need to cast another Dumbledore at some point”.

“He is an amazing actor, there is no doubt about it. I also think that he'll make a good Dumbledore but the man is already 79. The show allegedly starts in 2026 and could run for 10 season. I don’t know…”, Redditor HoopletheMott chimed in.

However, others saw a silver lining in the controversial matter, stating that “if he’s 79 now then I’m assuming they’ll be filming with the quickness, which I hope”, as Lunaswitchytake said.

The premiere date for the first season of HBO’s Harry Potter has not been scheduled yet. It is only known that the show will arrive some time in 2026.