John Lithgow is getting ready to portray Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, and he believes the role won’t be “too much hard work.” In a conversation with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett on the Smartless Podcast, he mentioned his relatively limited familiarity with the Harry Potter franchise, joking that he was “a second behind” in terms of knowledge.
Lithgow explained, “The concept of this Harry Potter reboot revolves around adapting a single novel for an entire season. Dumbledore is like a nuclear option; he only makes infrequent appearances, so I don’t think it’s that challenging of a role.”
Regarding his filming schedule, Lithgow commented, “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve been in England for The Crown for eight months now. My contract is still fresh, but I’ve already been recognized by fans regarding my new role, though I don’t think I’ve seen much of the attention yet.”
In other casting news, over 32,000 children have auditioned for roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, with the selection process ongoing. Francesca Gardiner is the writer and showrunner, and Mark Myrod is set to executive produce and direct multiple episodes. Initially planned for Max, the project transitioned to HBO last summer along with several other shows.
The series is designed to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s seven novels, with one book per season. While the films covered a lot of material, many scenes from the original novels were left out. Last year, the studio stated: “Each season will be true to the original book, introducing Harry Potter’s remarkable adventures to new audiences globally, while the classic films will remain central to the franchise and available for viewers worldwide.” Production is anticipated to commence this summer.
