Gary Oldman says he wanted a shot at playing Dumbledore in new Harry Potter

Reflecting on his introduction to the Harry Potter films in 2004's The Prisoner of Azkaban, Oldman said: "It was interesting working with Alfonso Cuarón, I think he did a spectacular job with number three, which is when I joined.

"Daniel Radcliffe would've been about 11 when I first met him. They were all delightful – super smart, super talented. But it was a nice, great time. I'm very proud to have been in it."

On the upcoming series, Oldman said: "My personal feeling is they're not going to go anywhere near people that were connected to the original. I'm actually very intrigued to see it because so much of the books were cut.

"I would've fancied a go at Dumbledore. I'm getting up there now, it's the right age for Dumbledore."

It's been announced that John Lithgow will be taking on the role of Dumbledore, the revered headmaster of Hogwarts, in the TV series.

The American actor has already opened up about the fact that he will be donning an English accent for the part and that this long-spanning role will certainly define this last chapter of his career.

Speaking to Screen Rant about the role, Lithgow said: "It came as a total surprise to me. 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."

The main cast of the series has since been announced, with it more recently being confirmed that Rivals and The IT Crowd favourite Katherine Parkinson will star as Molly Weasley, joining The Crown's Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, Ripley's Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, and Bel Powley (A Small Light) and Daniel Rigby (I, Jack Wright) as Harry's aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon.

The new series will be led by newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

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Their casting was announced just last month, with showrunner and executive producer Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod (executive producer and director of multiple episodes) saying in a statement: "After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.

"We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there."

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.

Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.

In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.

Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.

The Harry Potter series will stream on Max.

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