Mark Rylance is at the top of the casting wishlist for the new HBO “Harry Potter” adaptation, Variety has learned from sources familiar with the project.
Rylance, who is starring as Thomas Cromwell in the highly-anticipated BBC period drama “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light” (based on Hilary Mantel’s novel), is in the mix for Dumbledore, according to inside buzz.
Variety understands that Warner Bros. Television hasn’t yet entered into negotiations with the actor, but the studio has reached out to gauge interest and availability.
Reps for Rylance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A rep for HBO told Variety: “We appreciate that such a high profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
While the leads for the show – Harry, Hermione and Ron – will likely be newcomers, with Warner Bros. launching an open casting call for kids aged between 9 and 11 earlier this fall, it’s no surprise that, like the original feature film adaptations, WBD is hoping to populate the adult cast with some of the U.K.’s best-known actors.
The original films starred, among others, Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape.
One challenge will be finding talent who are willing to commit to a potential seven seasons (one corresponding 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 began shooting the films.
Harris originally turned down the role of the Hogwarts headmaster three times before eventually being persuaded by his young granddaughter, according to the Guardian. “All I knew is that they kept offering me the part and raising the salary every time they called. I kept turning it down,” Harris reportedly said. “Anyone 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 worked 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 repped by CAA, Hamilton Hodell, and Peikoff Mahan.
Warner Bros. TV boss Channing Dungey said earlier this year the HBO series, which was first announced in 2023, will be “more in-depth that you can in just a two-hour film… that’s the whole reason we’re on this journey.” It is set to premiere in 2026.
