HBO has aHarry PotterTV show coming out in 2026 and its announcement of its ideal casting of Albus Dumbledore is very encouraging. The upcoming TV show constitutes a reboot in theHarry Potterfranchise, following on from the hugely successfulHarry Pottermovies. Starting the movie series off in 2001,Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonefeatured Richard Harris as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Harris is only the first of a few actors to play Dumbledore, all of which the HBO show may struggle to beat. But the casting news is promising.
Harris played Dumbledore intheHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsmovie, which was the follow-up toHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.Sadly, this was Harris' finalHarry Pottermovie before his passing away and passing the torch to Michael Gambon, who portrayed Dumbledore brilliantly in the remaining movies. If Harris and Gambon weren’t impressive enough, Jude Law portrayed an exceptional Dumbledore in theFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themmovies. TheHarry PotterTV show has huge shoes to fill, but its Dumbledore dreamcast could do just that.
Why Mark Rylance Would Be A Great Albus Dumbledore
Mark Rylance Has All The Right Credentials For Dumbledore
Varietyreported that Warner Bros. Television, who will produceHarry Potterfor HBO, is looking to tap Mark Rylance for the Albus Dumbledore role. Rylance would be an incredible Dumbledore. And, in fact, now the prospect of Rylance as Dumbledore has been introduced, it is quite hard to imagine anyone else playing him.Mark Rylance has an agelessness to him- he seems neither young nor old. It is an extraordinary quality in the downturn of his eyes and mouth that anyone who has watched his performances could testify to.
Depth, complexity, and ambivalence are Rylance’s specialties.
Rylance has played the terrifying and the gentle, but he normally walks the fine line between the two. InBones and All- the profoundly underrated Luca Guadagnino horror drama - Rylance played a solitary vampire who was somehow a kindly old man and a Jeffrey Dahmer-esque serial killer at the same time. Depth, complexity, and ambivalence are Rylance’s specialties. This is further shown by his leading role as Thomas Cromwell in the outstanding BBC dramaWolf Hall.Rylance couldn’t be better positioned to play Dumbledore, the father figure with concealed darkness.
Mark Rylance Is Encouraging For Harry Potter’s TV Remake Casting As A Whole
Rylance Continues A Promising Casting Trend
The HBOHarry Pottershowis showing some strong decision-making thus far, as regards casting, and the news ofMark Rylance is the latest update in a hopeful trend. HBO launched an open casting call for the roles of the Golden Trio - Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. This will help the show differentiate itself from the movie series and carve its own path, plus give it the chance to shape its three most important actors into devotees of the show for a number of years. But targeting big names like Rylance for the adult cast is the right choice.
Harry Potter’s Remake Should Include 1 Missing Movie Character (& Commit To A Controversial Story)
HBO’s new Harry Potter adaptation can help add depth to missing characters in the series and shed light on a controversial storyline.
Rylance shows HBO to be seeking British thespians for itsHarry Pottercast as the movies did. This wise choice can put actors native to Harry Potter’s home country on the screen, fully embodying the accent, mannerisms, sense of humor, and culture that makeHarry Potterwhat it is. After all,no one nails a British sense of humor quite like the British. Theater backgrounds help these actors into the level of gravitas needed for a fantasy children’s story with hidden depths. The ability to be over the top is just as key as the ability to be nuanced inHarry Potter’scast, as the books mature as they go.
The Harry Potter Remake’s Adult Cast Is One Of Its Biggest Challenges
It Will Be Hard To Beat The Harry Potter Movies
Child actors don’t reach the same meteoric fame as adult actors, so the casting of Harry Potter’s year group inHBO’s upcomingHarry PotterTV showwas never going to be as big a deal as the casting of the adults.The adult cast will define the showat first while its child actors acclimatize to the roles and prove their value. Picking unknowns for some adult roles should be fine, so long as they are flawlessly cast. But the show has to prove its reason for existing, and big names like Mark Rylance could help.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
2001
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2002
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
2011
Hiring well-established adult actors to playthe professors of Hogwartsand the adultHarry Pottervillains will provide the show with a buffer that will help it avoid looking like a downgrade from the movies.Downgrading from the brilliant cast of theHarry Pottermovies will make it hard for the show to demonstrate its worthand may lead to poor ratings and viewership and cancelation. In this sense, the TV show faces a tall order in casting its adults, because the vast majority of the movies' adult roles were perfectly cast. Rylance would be a great start.
Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, and Alan Rickman all present instances ofHarry Potteractors who passed away after filming the movies, making it harder for the show to compete with the lasting legend and legacy of their respective characterizations.
Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, and Alan Rickman are all examples ofactors from theHarry Pottermoviesthat defined the story. In defining theHarry Pottermovies, these actors were the voices of millennials the world over, representing a powerful parable that many grew up with.TheHarry PotterTV show has to create something just as era-defining and zeitgeisty as the movies, and it will need all the help it can get. Savvy casting like Mark Rylance will ensure that theHarry PotterTV show passes the test of season 1 with flying colors.
Harry Potter
Cast
Harry Potter is HBO’s remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling’s popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did.
