HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series is still in early pre-production, but one name has already emerged for one of its most important roles.
According to a Variety article on Monday, British actor and playwright Mark Rylance is "at the top of the casting wishlist" to play Albus Dumbledore in the series. It's a pretty prestigious pick for the show; among Rylance's accolades are an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards.
Still, we should caution that casting for this role really does seem to be in the wishlist stage. Variety's report says HBO hasn't even begun negotiations with Rylance, only that the network has reached out to his camp to gauge interest. For its part, HBO issued the following statement to Variety:
“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.”
HBO's right about one thing: this is only the beginning of what will be a casting process likely surrounded by speculation and rumors. In September, HBO posted an open casting call to find child actors for the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which also seemed to confirm that filming would start around spring 2025.
Outside of the Golden Trio, Dumbledore is no doubt one of the most famous Harry Potter roles to fill. The Hogwarts headmaster was originally played by Richard Harris in the first two films, with Michael Gambon stepping into the role after Harris' death in 2002. Recently, Richard Harris' son, actor Jared Harris, threw cold water on the idea that he would play Dumbledore in the show, telling The Independent, "I mean, why do it? I don't understand. The films were fantastic. Leave them alone."
Despite that point, Warner Bros. seems to have plenty of big plans for the series, especially in the wake of Hogwarts Legacy's massive success on the games side. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment leadership recently revealed that Hogwarts Legacy 2, a major priority for the studio, will include some "big-picture storytelling" elements that connect to the HBO show.
All that being said, the Harry Potter TV show really is still early in the development process, so it'll be awhile until we start getting more solid updates. But we have gotten a few teases here and there, including a Warner Bros. executive's recent comments that it'll be able to explore the Wizarding World "more in depth" than the film series did.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
