A popular actor is poised to play a beloved Harry Potter character. John Lithgow is in final negotiations to portray Professor Albus Dumbledore in HBO‘s high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy books. HBO declined to comment. “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 finalize deals.” The Harry Potter series, designed to run over a decade, comes from writer/showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod. Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, at the time of the original announcement called the show a “faithful adaptation” of J.K. Rowling’s novels which will “dive deep into each of the iconic books.” Dumbledore is the headmaster of the Hogwarts wizarding school and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix whose goal is fighting the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort. The Harry Potter TV series, which will be filmed at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden where the movies were shot, is scheduled to debut on HBO in late 2026 or early 2027.