John Lithgow confirmed to play Dumbledore in HBO's Harry Potter TV series

John Lithgow will play Professor Albus Dumbledore in an upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

Back in 2023, producers at Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO announced that they had ordered a scripted "decade-long series" which will be a "faithful adaptation" of J.K. Rowling's popular books.

Responding to long-running rumours suggesting he will portray Dumbledore in interview for ScreenRant published on Tuesday, Lithgow confirmed he has been cast as the headmaster of wizarding school Hogwarts in the fantasy programme.

"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," the 79-year-old smiled. "Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes."

But despite Lithgow's enthusiasm, a representative for HBO told the outlet that the deal hadn't officially closed.

"We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals," they commented.

No other casting details have been announced, with producers reportedly recently putting out a casting call for young actors to audition for the main characters of Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Filming is expected to kick off in the U.K. in summer 2025, with the first episodes slated for release in late 2026 or early 2027.

Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris in the first two film adaptations of the Harry Potter books.

Following Harris's death in 2002, Michael Gambon took over the character for the next six movies, which were released from 2004 to 2011.