Wizarding World fans have finally received a first look at John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore in HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potter reboot series.
What do the Dumbledore set photos reveal about the Harry Potter reboot?
The new set photos come three months after the highly anticipated series adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter began filming in England. Lithgow looks near-unrecognizable as the Hogwarts headmaster, sporting a long white beard, half-moon spectacles, and a blue-heavy set of wizard robes. While fan reactions online have been largely positive, many have expressed confusion over why Lithgow’s Dumbledore is standing on a beach by himself, as there is no scene fitting that description present in the first Harry Potter novel.
Check out the Dumbledore set photos, via X, below:
While the HBO reboot initially had its eye on Mark Rylance for Albus Dumbledore, the Oscar-winning actor ended up passing on the role, leading to Lithgow being cast as the iconic wizard in February 2025. “Well, it came as a total surprise to me,” the actor told Screen Rant at the time. “I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid. But I’m very excited.”
Lithgow becomes the fifth actor to portray Dumbledore in live-action, succeeding Richard Harris, who portrayed the Hogwarts headmaster in the first two Harry Potter movies, and Michael Gambon, who starred in the final six movies. Jude Law also portrayed a middle-aged version of Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts prequel franchise, while Toby Regbo portrayed an even younger Dumbledore in flashback scenes for the Deathly Hallows and Crimes of Grindelwald.
Francesca Gardiner is serving as head writer and showrunner on Harry Potter, while Mark Mylod is attached as its main director. The first season, based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is slated to premiere on HBO in 2027.
