“Conclave” is gathering steam ahead of the Oscars ceremony on Sunday and is prime to win a good amount of awards, and one of the film’s stars has landed a high-profile role for the HBO reboot series that will attempt to relaunch the “Harry Potter” franchise for a new generation.
While speaking with Screen Rant, John Lithgow has now confirmed reports (Mark Rylance was once linked) that he will be playing a new version of Professor Dumbledore in the show.
READ MORE: ‘Harry Potter’: Francesca Gardiner & Mark Mylod Brought On To Write & Direct HBO’s New Series
“It came as a total surprise to me. I got the phone call 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,” Lithgow said of getting called up for the “Potter” project. “But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to ‘Harry Potter.’”
The beloved character oversees the Wizarding School of Hogwarts and was revealed as being gay, although, the mainline movies didn’t explore that aspect of Dumbledore very much. Previously, the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon had played the role in the original run of films with Jude Law playing a younger incarnation for the “Fantastic Beasts” prequels.
“Gangs of London” actor Paapa Essiedu was another name linked to the project and reportedly circling the part of Professor Severus Snape in the show that hails from Francesca Gardiner and Mark Myold.
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With Dumbledore cast, the rest of the roles shouldn’t take too long to fall into place as HBO had been aiming to have “Harry Potter” ready by 2026.