Dumbledore Unveiled: First Photos From the Harry Potter TV Series
First-look set photos from England reveal John Lithgow nearly unrecognizable as Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot, dropping three months after production began.
We finally have our Dumbledore. HBO's Harry Potter reboot just served up the first on-set look at John Lithgow as the Hogwarts headmaster, and yes, it is a lot to take in (in a good way).
First look: a nearly unrecognizable Dumbledore... on a beach
The new photos popped up about three months after the series started shooting in England. Lithgow is almost unrecognizable under the classic Dumbledore kit: long white beard, half-moon glasses, and layered robes that lean heavily blue. The curveball? He is standing alone on a beach.
That last part has fans raising eyebrows since there is no solo Dumbledore-on-a-beach moment in the first book. Online reaction is mostly positive on the look itself, but the location has people guessing whether this is new material, a reimagined intro, or just a quick transitional moment we do not know about yet.
Check out the Dumbledore set photos, via X, below:
HBO initially went after Mark Rylance for Dumbledore. He passed. John Lithgow boarded the series in February 2025, and even he sounded surprised by it, telling Screen Rant he got the call during Sundance and had to think about what it would mean long-term.
"Well, it came as a total surprise to me," he said. "I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid. But I’m very excited."
The Dumbledore lineage (so far)
- Richard Harris: the first two films as the original movie Dumbledore.
- Michael Gambon: took over for the final six films.
- Jude Law: middle-aged Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts prequels.
- Toby Regbo: even younger Dumbledore in flashbacks (Deathly Hallows, Crimes of Grindelwald).
- John Lithgow: the new live-action Dumbledore for HBO's series.
Who is making it, and when can we watch?
Francesca Gardiner is running the show as head writer and showrunner, with Mark Mylod on board as the lead director. Season 1 adapts Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and is currently slated to premiere on HBO in 2027.