When it was announced that a Harry Potter TV reboot was in the works, this news inevitably sparked passionate reactions from fans around the world. Some were incredibly excited about the development, while others were already adamant in their vow to boycott the HBO Max series completely. Fans pondered whether it could live up to the movies, which starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as the golden trio Harry, Ron and Hermione.
There is also the big question of who will end up playing arguably the greatest wizard of his time – the one and only Albus Dumbledore. The Hogwarts headmaster was orginally portrayed by Richard Harris in the first two Harry Potter films, before his death in 2002 at the age of 72. Michael Gambon then took over the role, depicting the sorcerer for seven years from 2004 until 2011.
So who could be next in line to capture Dumbledore’s commanding presence in the Great Hall of Hogwarts? Let’s take a look at seven of the top contenders…
British actor Gary Oldman has graced the stage and screen in both UK and US productions for decades. He became known to a younger generation of audiences when he played the godfather of The Boy Who Lived in the Harry Potter films in the early 2000s. However, his role was fairly short-lived compared to others in the franchise, considering his character dies before the ending of the series in Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix -- both in the book and the movie. With three movies still left in the run, Oldman admitted in a recent interview that he feels he may have missed out. Having recently announced his retirement from acting, it seems as though there might be one role that would bring him back into the limelight.
Fans might be excited to hear that the veteran actor has expressed interest in taking on the role of Hogwart's most prestigious wizard in the new HBO series reimagining. Stepping into Albus Dumbledore's purple robes would be the cherry on top of a long-anticipated reboot. And it just might be the chance for audiences to see Oldman truly stretch his acting chops in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World.
Warner Bros.' movie adaptations of Rowling's Harry Potter books stretched the seven children's novels into eight films total. The movies showcased the talents of many up-and-coming actors, like Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger), and Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory). Alongside the newcomers were faces with which audiences were more familiar. During the run of the movies, so many renowned British actors started popping up in one film after another that the press began to make a joke out of it. One Irish journalist called the movies the "Potter pension express," citing that actors who were normally drawn to the stage were flocking to be cast in the next Potter installment. The article, from the Irish Independent published in June 2004, credited Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) with coining the idea.
When Oldman chose to join the franchise for the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, audiences were excited to see who would be cast as Harry's roguish godfather. Although in retrospect, it's been pointed out that Oldman was too old for the part (playing a character 10 years his junior). Oldman admitted that he did take the role partially for the paycheck. When asked what attracted him to the part, he stated in an interview with The Leaky Cauldron Harry Potter fan site, "There are several things. Just practically, I have not worked for a while, and you’ve got to make money. I have to pay the bills. Then, of course, the director, Alfonso Cuarón." Oldman was especially excited to work with the Mexican director who was coming into the Harry Potter series with a new vision for the movies. The first two films were directed by American director, Chris Columbus.
While the first two films had much of the lightheartedness and whimsy that mimicked the tone of the first two books, Cuarón took a different approach. Viewers at the time would notice that he chose not to keep the main characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their school robes a great deal of the time. Rather, he chose to showcase them as growing teenagers with separate personalities and shifted the direction a bit darker. Rowling also does this in her books. As the story ages with Harry, it becomes more serious as Voldemort's shadow continues to grow throughout the world of wizards. Oldman was a huge fan of this new approach, stating:
"It wasn't just a case of 'there's a third book, so we're going to make a third film'. Alfonso had a take on it and a vision. There are people who make movies and there are people who are film-makers. It's an intangible thing but just something that's there. He approached it within the world. He wanted to make it more real and less cartoonish. I know he wanted to make the magic real, instead of it being a big firework display of special effects. And the kids are older."
Oldman added, "It's nice to do something my kids can see."
Despite taking a role in an infamous British book series that was raging in popularity at the time, Oldman had not read any when he was cast in the role of Sirius. In a May 2004 interview, Oldman admitted he'd only read the third book at first and then realized how much more informative it would have been for him to have read the later books before tackling the role head-on. He was surprised at how challenging the role ended up being, saying of Sirius: "Psychologically, he's very complex. That was challenging. It's a bit like Shakespeare -- when you have dialogue, which is also plot, it's quite challenging. I was surprised by how difficult it was to pull off." He also said that working with Radcliffe, Grint and Watson felt like working with seasoned pros since the kids had two movies under their belt by that point. Still, Oldman would later look back on his performance as Sirius as "mediocre."
In a recent interview with IndieWire, Oldman admitted that he would be interested in another prevalent role in the Harry Potter universe. When asked about returning to the role of Sirius in the upcoming HBO TV series reboot, he said he didn't expect to get that particular call. He added to his answer, saying, "I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people. Maybe in a few years, I could do Dumbledore." It's possible that this could be Oldman's chance to redeem himself (at least in his own eyes) for his performance as Sirius. He compared himself to Alan Rickman, "Maybe if I had read the books like Alan if I had got ahead of the curve if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently." And truly, Rickman's performance as Severus Snape has caused many Potter fans to embrace the character as more than just how he's presented on the page.
If Oldman were to take on the role of Dumbledore, he would be the fifth in a line of actors to assume the role on-screen. Dumbledore famously had two different actors portray him in the original film series. Richard Harris was cast as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and would play him again Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. However, after his death in 2002, the role would need to be recast. Michael Gambon took over, playing a different side of Dumbledore. While Harris brought much of the stately manner and gravitas to Rowling's wizened wizard, Gambon highlighted his whimsy and unpredictability -- two sides which are very much present in the pages of each Harry Potter novel in which the character appears.
Oldman did admit that he was sad to see that Sirius' role in the franchise was fairly short-lived. He did have a soft spot for the character, saying, "I love Sirius. He wasn't in it enough. He turned up, and then he went through the veil." If he does put on the mantle of Dumbledore, he'll be following Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts series, who played a younger Dumbledore in his mid-forties. Toby Finn Regbo played yet an even younger version of Dumbledore in flashback scenes in both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). It would truly be a full-circle moment were Oldman to be cast -- especially since the Fantastic Beasts series has been put on an indefinite hold.
If Oldman is given the chance to star in another Harry Potter adaptation, it will not be his first time stepping into a fantastical element. He famously starred as the title character in a stellar adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Part horror and part fantasy, the Gothic romance is one of the most inventive and true adaptations of Stoker's 1897 Victorian novel. In a lesser-known and possibly forgotten 2011 adaptation of The Brother's Grimm fairy tale Red Riding Hood, he played Father Solomon -- a witch-hunting priest. Not to mention his recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. Oldman has range and has never shirked away from jumping genres when a role calls for it.
Casting announcements for the new Harry Potter series remain in discussion for the present moment. But the hopes are that they'll be just as spot-on as the original series. Fans likely would not brush aside the chance to see actors like Oldman return in a new capacity to rekindle the fandom once more.
The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.
