Renowned actor John Lithgow is gearing up to take on the iconic role of Albus Dumbledore in the highly anticipated new Harry Potter TV series. In a recent episode of the Smartless podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Lithgow shared that he is currently “halfway through the second” book. He humorously admitted to being “behind everybody” regarding his familiarity with the expansive Harry Potter universe. Despite this, Lithgow remains confident, suggesting that portraying the legendary wizard may not be “that hard.”

Discussing the concept behind the new adaptation, Lithgow elaborated, “The overall concept of this entire reboot of Harry Potter is that each season is dedicated to a single novel.” He further described Dumbledore as a character who is “kind of the nuclear weapon,” implying that his appearances are rare yet impactful. Lithgow expressed his belief that this unique format will make the role manageable, stating, “I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard a job, and we’ll just go back and forth.”

When questioned about the filming schedule for the Harry Potter series, Lithgow candidly responded, “I honestly don’t know. I mean, I was in England for eight months for The Crown and barely came back [to the U.S.].” He noted that he might have returned only once or twice during that period. However, Lithgow anticipates being able to return to England more frequently for the Harry Potter production. Even though his contract is freshly signed, he mentioned that he is already encountering fans who recognize him for this exciting new role, hinting at the buzz surrounding the series.

In the casting process for the beloved characters of Harry Potter, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, over 32,000 young actors have auditioned, with the selection process still actively ongoing. The writing and showrunning duties for the series will be handled by Francesca Gardiner of Succession fame, while Mark Mylod is set to executive produce and direct several episodes. Initially developed for the streaming platform Max, the project was later shifted to HBO, coinciding with a broader strategy to enhance its content offerings.

The new Harry Potter TV series aims to dedicate each season to one of J.K. Rowling’s novels, spanning a total of seven seasons. While the original films successfully captured much of the storyline, they inevitably omitted numerous beloved scenes from the novels. The studio has emphasized that “Each season will stay true to the original books and present Harry Potter and these remarkable adventures to new audiences globally, while the original, classic, and cherished films will continue to be at the heart of the franchise and remain accessible for viewing worldwide.” Production is projected to commence this summer, promising exciting developments for fans of the series.