Harry Potter star Gary Oldman debuted as Sirius Black in The Prisoner of Azkaban 20 years ago, so reckons he’s about ready to play Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO reboot.
Oldman told IndieWire he hadn’t been contacted about appearing in the new show (which is targetting a completely fresh cast) but joked he’d be up for playing the iconic headmaster of Hogwarts in a throwback to the original film series.
“I love Sirius. He wasn’t in it enough. He turned up and then he went through the veil,” Oldman said. “I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people. Maybe in a few years I could do Dumbledore.”
The 66-year-old Oldman is the right age for the role. Original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris was 71 when the first Harry Potter film debuted and just 72 when he died the following year. Michael Gambon stepped in to take over the role and was just 64 when he debuted in The Prisoner of Azkaban.
The Harry Potter TV show will seemingly begin filming around spring 2025, however, so Oldman and HBO would need to get in touch sooner rather than later. It is still searching for its cast though, having put out an open casting call for Harry, Ron, and Hermione earlier in September.
Announced in April last year, the show will be a “faithful adaptation” of the novels and is already locked in for a 10-year run. Succession producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod will direct and write the Harry Potter show, the latter of which also worked on Game of Thrones.
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
