Harry Potter fans lose it as HBO reboot first casting officially confirmed

The Harry Potter reboot series with HBO Max now has its first official cast member, as the actor for Albus Dumbldore has been confirmed.

Ever since the HBO series was confirmed, fans have been going feral trying to figure out who will play some of the most iconic Harry Potter characters now that the film cast is well and truly done with the franchise.

At the time of writing, there’s nothing to show about the series apart from this brief teaser.

While we don’t have a full list yet, the casting process has been going on for a while, with reportedly thousands of children auditioning for Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.

That’s not who we’re talking about today though; we’re talking about Albus Dumbledore, who’ll apparently be played by John Lithgow.

You may know John Lithgow from films such as Cliffhanger (1993), The World According to Garp (1982) or TV series like Dexter. He also provided the voice for Lord Faarquad in Shrek.

Lithgow confirmed the casting to ScreenRant, saying, "It was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes.”

Harry Potter fans were a little bit shocked and a tiny bit sceptical about the choice, but most kept an open mind in the comments.

“I don't....hate this,” said one fan, and another added, “As a Potterhead, I am happy with this choice and I hope he will also do a great justice to this character.”

All in all, it seems to be a good casting, and it’s clear that Lithgow has put a lot of thought into the role and what it'll mean for him before agreeing to it, so that’s always a good sign.