Gary Oldman 'Fancied' Taking On Albus Dumbledore In HBO's Harry Potter, And I Want To See It

Summary

Gary Oldman was interested in playing Albus Dumbledore on HBO’s Harry Potter.
HBO took a significant risk by casting John Lithgow as Dumbledore.
Casting former Harry Potter movie stars for the TV show could be tricky to navigate.

HBO’s Harry Potter cast is quickly becoming impressive, featuring many established names, such as Nick Frost and Janet McTeer, alongside a host of young talents who will be playing the various students. While there are many more names to be announced moving forward, so far, HBO is ticking all of the right boxes.

However, the one thing that HBO has avoided so far with this Harry Potter adaptation is casting any of the actors from the film series. Whether that’s intentional or not remains to be seen, but that doesn’t mean that some of the former Harry Potter stars aren’t interested in returning to the wizarding world in this new format.

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Gary Oldman Was Interested In Playing Albus Dumbledore In HBO’s Harry Potter

Seeing Him In This Iconic Role Would’ve Been Interesting

HBO’s Harry Potter is getting a lot of attention right now due to fans’ anticipation for the series, with everyone wanting to know who will be taking on each role. The part of Albus Dumbledore was a part that people had a keen eye on, and he was one of the first to be confirmed. However, during an interview with Variety, Gary Oldman admitted he was interested in taking on that role. He was part of the Harry Potter film series by playing Sirius Black, a performance he has publicly claimed was “mediocre,” despite the fact fans of the franchise universally loved it.

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

Even though Oldman hasn’t gotten the part of Professor Dumbledore, that doesn’t mean that the idea isn’t intriguing. The Academy Award winner is one of the most talented actors available right now, and there’s no doubt he’d have brought something special to this role. He’s someone who understands this franchise due to his own experience, and it’s easy to see how he’d have been able to put his spin on this role. Dumbledore is someone who balances kindness and warmth with being an authority figure who is extremely mysterious, and Oldman feels like an ideal candidate to bring that to the forefront. There are many similarities between Black and Dumbledore, which would have made Oldman’s portrayal fun to see, but instead, it will just have to live in the imaginations of fans.

Gary Oldman Would’ve Brought A Unique Spin To Albus Dumbledore

HBO Opted To Take A Significant Risk Regarding This Character

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While Oldman might have been interested in taking on the role of the Hogwarts headmaster, HBO opted to go in a totally different, slightly controversial direction by casting John Lithgow. It was a decision that got many Harry Potter fans talking as they were unhappy to see an American actor be given such a significant role when the movie series hired predominantly British actors. While Lithgow will likely put on a British accent as part of this series, as he did during his time in The Crown, casting him certainly got people talking. It was a bold decision on HBO’s behalf, proving that they’re not scared of going against the rules set up by the film series as they want to do things differently. Lithgow is a talented actor who should do a great job in that role; however, Oldman admitting he wanted to do it will only see the question marks over this decision rise.

Casting Former Harry Potter Movie Stars Would Be Tricky To Navigate

The Actors Involved Would Understand The Harry Potter World

It’s easy to understand why HBO might not want to cast any former Harry Potter actors from the film series, as it could be confusing. Fans would likely associate them with the roles they played in the movies; therefore, if they were cast as someone else, it could cause a problem. HBO will be keen to avoid that, as their aim will be for fans to be able to watch the show and get lost in the magical world in a charming and whimsical way rather than worrying about who is acting in each individual role. HBO will try to distance the Harry Potter television show from the movies in a bid to make them feel as interesting as possible to draw people in by giving them some legitimate differences.

On the flip side, bringing back former cast members could cause an interest in the television series to rise from those who enjoyed the films so much. Having major names such as Oldman would provide a lot of star power and brilliant acting quality, as giving someone of his talent the room to explore and expand a character across a lengthy television series such as this would be an exciting prospect. There are many people who fans would like to see return, and the positive reaction to Tom Felton’s return to the role of Draco Malfoy in the Broadway play proves that. However, as of now, HBO doesn’t appear to be going down that route, and instead, the television version of Harry Potter will provide something totally fresh.