Key Takeaways
- HBO Max Harry Potter series zeroes in on Mark Rylance for Dumbledore, but no deal yet.
- Warner Bros. shifts focus to key franchises – including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
- Mark Rylance would be the fifth actor to portray Dumbledore if he accepts the role.
Things are moving right along when it comes to casting for the upcoming HBO Max Harry Potter series. While the hunt is still on the actors to play the likes of Harry, Ron and Hermione, a new report says the project’s showrunners have found the man they want to play one of the most iconic roles in fantasy television or movies. Dumbledore is set to be recast for a second time for the purposes of this streaming series.
While the reports also stipulate that a deal isn’t in place just yet, it looks like the people leading the Harry Potter series want to get this actor’s deal done as they still work on getting some of the more central characters cast.
Harry Potter Series Pinpoints Dumbledore
According to Variety, the HBO Max series has zeroed in on Mark Rylance. Things are still very much in the early stages, but Warner Bros. is reaching out to Rylance’s people to gauge interest and availability before making an official offer. Rylance is an acclaimed actor out of the UK who won an Academy Award for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. Rylance is multitalented, as he’s also had a ton of success on the stage, winning three Tony Awards. Additionally, the famed actor has appeared in science fiction tales like Stephen Spielberg’s adaptation of the novel Ready Player One.
The potential hiring of Rylance is the latest step in backing up what Warner Bros. execs have said is the focus of the company moving forward. The gaming division will focus on four franchises from here on out. Mortal Kombat, Batman, Harry Potter (in the form of an already announced Hogwarts Legacy 2) and Game of Thrones. While the movies and television division will obviously be looking to be a bit more diverse, Hogwarts and those who reside within it is clearly a big part of the company’s plans. There is even talk that execs want to have some connective tissue between Hogwarts Legacy 2 and the upcoming Harry Potter series. One has to wonder if that might even mean that actors like Rylance (should he get named as the new Dumbledore officially) will also voice characters in the game.
So far, there is no agreement and not even an official offer.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. put out an open casting call for the three main stars of the show, in Ron, Harry and Hermione. It’s worth pointing out that’s how the stars of the movie series were found. It’s possible the project is moving into the next phase when it comes to casting as anyone who was applying for any of those three roles needed to have their applications in by October 31.
Should Mark Rylance officially get offered and accept the position of Dumbledore, he’ll officially be the fifth man to take on the role. Richard Harris was the first and was meant to be the only one in the original movie series but he passed away in 2002 and Michael Gambon took over in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and all the subsequent movies. In a few flashback scenes in Deathly Hallows 1 & 2, a younger Dumbledore is played by Toby Regbo and in In the prequel films Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jude Law plays the legendary wizard.
Harry Potter
When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.
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Source: Deadline