Actor John Lithgow is in final talks to play the iconic professor Albus Dumbledore in the much-anticipated series from HBO.

The studio has not yet confirmed the casting. "We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation,” the network said in a statement. "As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals."

Announced in April last year, the series has author JK Rowling and Mark Mylod as its executive producers and fame Francesca Gardiner as its writer-showrunner.

In the books and movies, Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts Scool of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is also the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the film adaptations of (2001) and (2002). Following Harris' death in October 2002, Michael Gambon was cast in the role. He plays Dumbledore in six Harry Potter films, which were released from 2004 to 2011.

The show is described as a "faithful" adaptation of author JK Rowling’s seven-book series chronicling the young wizard’s years at Hogwarts and his eventual faceoff with the evil Lord Voldemort.

Other cast members rumoured to be part of the series include Paapa Essiedu for Potions Master Snape, Sharon Horgan, Lesley Manville for Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and Brett Goldstein for Hogwarts’ gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. Recently, Ralph Fiennes, the Voldemort star from the Harry Potter films, said that he would like to see Cillian Murphy as the antagonist in the series.

Currently being filmed at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden where the movies were shot, the series is scheduled to release in HBO in late 2026 or early 2027.

John Lithgow, a two-time Academy Award nominee, is part of the cast in the Oscar-nominated film . He also leads the independent film Jimpa, which just debuted at Sundance, and stars alongside Geoffrey Rush in the upcoming . On television, Lithgow was recently a series regular on FX’s and revisited his Emmy-winning role as the Trinity Killer in Showtime’s . Additionally, he is set to narrate a potential prequel series centered on the Trinity Killer, which is currently in development.