Harry Potter Set Photos Offer First Look at John Lithgow’s Dumbledore

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Fans of the Wizarding World are getting their first glimpse of John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter series coming to HBO.

What do the Dumbledore set photos reveal about the Harry Potter reboot?

New pictures from the set of the upcoming Harry Potter series have been released, three months after filming began in England. John Lithgow, who plays Albus Dumbledore, looks almost completely different with a long white beard, round glasses, and blue wizard robes. Fans online generally seem pleased with the photos, though some are puzzled by a shot of Lithgow’s Dumbledore standing alone on a beach – a scene that doesn’t appear in the first Harry Potter book.

Check out the Dumbledore set photos, via X, below:

The HBO reboot of the Harry Potter series originally wanted Mark Rylance to play Albus Dumbledore, but he turned down the part. John Lithgow was then cast as the famous wizard in February 2025. Lithgow said he was completely surprised by the offer, telling Screen Rant it was a difficult decision because he knew the role would likely be how people remembered him. Despite this, he was thrilled to accept.

Hugh Lithgow is the fifth actor to play Dumbledore in the Harry Potter universe. He follows Richard Harris, who played the character in the first two films, and Michael Gambon, who took on the role for the last six. Jude Law portrayed a younger Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series, and Toby Regbo played him as a young man in flashback scenes from the later Harry Potter movies.

Francesca Gardiner will lead the creative side of the new Harry Potter series as head writer and showrunner, with Mark Mylod directing the episodes. The first season will adapt ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and is expected to debut on HBO in 2027.

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2025-10-08 18:16