Mark Rylance tops the casting wish list for the new HBO version of Harry Potter, Variety has learned from sources familiar with the project.
Rylance, who stars as Thomas Cromwell in the highly anticipated BBC drama ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light’ (based on Hilary Mantel’s novel), is rumored to be in the mix for Dumbledore.
Variety understands that Warner Bros. Television has not yet begun negotiations with the actor, but the studio has reached out to gauge interest and availability.
Representatives for Rylance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An HBO representative told Variety: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will generate a lot of rumors and speculation. As we work our way through pre-production, we will not confirm details until we finalize deals.”
Although the leads for the show – Harry, Hermione and Ron – will likely be newcomers, as Warner Bros. launched an open casting call for ages 9 to 11 earlier this fall, it’s no surprise that, as with the original feature film adaptations, WBD hopes to fill the adult cast with some of Britain’s best-known actors.
The original films also starred Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape.
One challenge will be finding talent willing to commit to a seven-season potential (one corresponds to each book) and who are the right age to see it through. Harris was 70 when he took on the role of Dumbledore and died two years later, having completed only the first two films. He was replaced by Michael Gambon for the remainder of the series.
Rylance is 64, a year younger than Smith was when she started making films.
Harris initially turned down the role of Hogwarts headmaster three times before he was finally persuaded by his young granddaughter, the newspaper said. Guardian. “All I knew is that they kept offering me the role and increasing the salary every time they called. I kept turning it down,” Harris reportedly said. “Everyone involved has to agree to be in the sequels, all of them, and that’s not how I wanted to spend the last years of my life, so I said no over and over again.”
Rylance won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2016 for his work in the Steven Spielberg film “Bridge of Spies.” He also collaborated with Spielberg on the 2016 animated film ‘The BFG’, based on the book by Roald Dahl. His other film credits include ‘Dunkirk’, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’, while his TV roles include shows like ‘The Government Inspector’ and the aforementioned ‘Wolf Hall’.
He is represented by CAA, Hamilton Hodell and Peikoff Mahan.
Warner Bros. TV boss Channing Dungey said earlier this year that the HBO series, first announced in 2023, will be “deeper than you can get in a just two-hour movie… that’s the whole reason we’re on this journey . .” The premiere is scheduled for 2026.