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It looks as though one actor might be making the voyage from the swamp to Hogwarts, with speculation mounting that a Shrek star is in talks to appear in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot.
It’s a franchise crossover that perhaps no one saw coming (what’s the spell to remove onion breath?), and it’s all thanks to John Lithgow, who voiced the small but deadly villain Lord Farquaad in the beloved DreamWorks movies. The Emmy-winning actor is reportedly coming close to finalizing a deal with the showrunners of the upcoming Harry Potter series, but HBO is remaining tight-lipped as to whether his role has been officially confirmed.
John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Professor Dumbledore in HBO’s ‘HARRY POTTER’ TV series. pic.twitter.com/4zAnkoAah1
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) February 12, 2025
“We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation,” the network said of the Lithgow rumor (per Deadline). “As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.” While the enlistment of Lord Farquaad himself for the buzzy Harry Potter show would be news in itself, it’s doubly exciting because of who he is rumored to play. It’s not Moaning Myrtle (despite my best wishes), but none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts himself, Professor Albus Dumbledore.
While he is still in negotiations, Lithgow’s acceptance of the role would see him take the reins from the late Richard Harris, who portrayed Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter movie; Michael Gambon, who wielded the professor’s wand in the remaining installments of the fantasy film franchise; and Jude Law, who played the younger version of the character in Fantastic Beasts.
John Lithgow recently sat down with @GQMagazine and talked about his experience playing Lord Farquaad in Shrek pic.twitter.com/rVGSexrdxN
— ⛄ShrekHistory⛄ (@ShrekHistory) July 5, 2022
While all those actors are British and Lithgow is American, the actor has jumped across the pond for his role as Winston Churchill in The Crown, so he’s got the Dumbledorian accent in the bag. With his white hair, bespectacled face, and general aura of wisdom, Lithgow also looks the part. If confirmed, Lithgow would be the first actor cast in a project that has predictably attracted enormous interest, as the only fandom more diehard than Potterheads are the Swifties.
Alongside Lithgow, the casting rumor mill has churned up everyone from Lesley Manville as Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall (Min Mac for short) and Cillian Murphy as Lord Voldemort, who also appears in that journal (Cillian, not he who shan’t be named). For his part, Paapa Essiedu has been tipped to play Severus Snape. In terms of broader details around the reboot, we know that the Harry Potter series is expected to run for over a decade, with each season offering a faithful adaptation of each entry into the original seven-book franchise (written by she who shan’t be named).
The series is written by Francesca Gardiner, whose credits include Succession and Killing Eve, and directed and produced by Mark Mylod, who is known for The Menu, starring Voldemort originator Ralph Fiennes. Expect to hear more details about this project ahead of its 2027 release.