John Lithgow is next in line to essay the role of Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore for HBO’s upcoming series, which is set to be a reboot of the Harry Potter franchise that wishes to focus on being more book-accurate. Lithgow did not take the role lightly, given the status of the character among fans, and wanted to know what the reboot was doing that was new.
In conversation with Variety, the actor revealed his query about playing Dumbledore, the original actor whom he admired, Michael Gambon. The popularity of the books was part of why he wanted to know the reason behind the second interpretation.
John Lithgow believes that Dumbledore matured into a complicated character
Speaking with Variety, John Lithgow was very intrigued by the idea of a reboot, questioning why exactly was it needed and why there was such a call to have it made. He revealed :
My big question to them was, ‘What is new about this? Why do more with the canon when it’s already been done so well?’ They just made it all sound very new. As the kids grew older [in the books], you learn more and more about Dumbledore, and he became a much more surprising, complicated character. They have described this to me, and I’ve got to discover it for myself and make it my own.
The idea was very much that the HBO series was going to be an all-new more accurate take on the books, with a focus on the characters and plot points that were completely removed to make the films more palatable to a mainstream audience. This means that the show will dwell on the history of characters like James Potter a lot more than they did in the films, and possibly have them better depicted as well.
John Lithgow has said that the role is going to define the ‘Last Chapter of his Life”
Speaking with ScreenRant, the actor confirmed that he is indeed doing the role, and expects it to define the last chapter of his life. The role, as complicated as it is, would start simple enough, as was the case with the books, before developing into darker and more complicated themes. He said:
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.
There has been a lot of healthy speculation about what the show is probably going to look like, given that it wished to adapt the entirety of the series into a major rebooted IP. What must be noted is that fans are a little bit skeptical about how the IP is going to be handled, given all the controversy that has surrounded it in recent years.
HBO’s Harry Potter is slated to release in 2026.
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