John Lithgow In Final Talks To Play Dumbledore In HBO's Harry ...

Merlin's beard! Ever since we first learned about HBO's Harry Potter series plans, the impending Wizarding World reboot has been subject of rampant casting speculation. Mark Rylance for Dumbledore, Brett Goldstein for Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu for Snape, Cillian Murphy for Lord Voldemort — all sorts! But now it seems writer-showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod have found the first solid piece of their Potter puzzle — the man to play Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's legendary headmaster. According to Deadline, six-time Emmy winning American actor John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming series.

Now, we know what you're thinking (no, not that): "An American playing Dumbledore? That ain't right!" But Lithgow, fresh off a stint playing Roald Dahl in West End play Giant and not far on from a starring role as Winston Churchill in The Crown, certainly has the requisite gravitas and accent experience to play Hogwarts' feted Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock, and Grand Sorcerer. Plus, having most recently been seen on-screen in Conclave, the iconic actor is no stranger to vying for a role in which he gets to wear a pointy hat, wield authority, and dabble in the realms of magic. But naturally, before you get too excited/angry/indignant about Lithgow stepping into the unfillable shoes of Messrs Harris, Gambon, and Law, HBO have been swift to temper trades' reporting, offering their now tried and tested official line once again in response to this latest reporting: "We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”

So, will we see John Lithgow's face adorn a chocolate frog in the near future? Has the door now been well and truly opened to an American invasion of the Wizarding World for HBO's Harry Potter revival? And will any of those wild casting rumours we've been hearing of so far prove to be true? We'll find out when HBO's Harry Potter arrives on our screens in the next year or two. Now, if only we could travel back in time and go back to a moment where all of this would've been crazily exciting news, eh? Accio, Time Turner!