Dumbledore Actor’s Son Questions Why The Harry Potter Reboot Is Even Happening

Oscar-winning actor Richard Harris played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films prior to his death in 2002, and now his son, actor Jared Harris, has weighed in on if he could step up to play Dumbledore in HBO’s upcoming reboot TV series. He told The Independent that not only is he not interested–he wonders why HBO is even making a new Harry Potter project in the first place.

“I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic–leave them alone,” he said (via Variety). He did, however, say the TV series, which will reportedly be seven seasons–one each for all the books–has the opportunity to cover “a lot of storytelling” that didn’t make it into the movies.

Anyone who has read the books understands that the movies left lots of material out. And it’s not just fans who think that. For example, Sirius Black actor Gary Oldman believes the films didn’t utilize his character enough, while Ginny actor Bonnie Wright said her character’s lack of screentime was “disappointing.”

But would Harris consider stepping in to play Dumbledore? “No, thank you,” he said.

The Harry Potter TV series is being led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, who worked on previous HBO shows like Succession and His Dark Materials. Mary Mylod, who also worked on Succession, is an executive producer and will direct multiple episodes.

After Richard Harris passed away in 2002, Warner Bros. recast the role of Dumbledore with Michael Gambon; he died in 2023. Jude Law played a younger Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts film series.

Recently, Oldman joked that he might now be old enough to play Dumbledore for the TV series. As of yet, however, there is nothing concrete confirmed about who will play Dumbledore on the show. An open casting call for the three leads–Harry, Hermione, and Ron–is currently underway. The Harry Potter TV series is expected to begin filming next year and premiere on HBO and Max in 2026.

The Harry Potter universe was created by author J.K. Rowling, who remains involved in the franchise. As such, her comments on the trans community continue to hang over the magical series. But Warner Bros. is focusing on bringing back Harry Potter (and The Lord of the Rings) because the company believes there is a mountain of money to be made.