Harry Potter Star Fires Back at Fans After Divisive Casting Earns Backlash

Harry Potter fans are clearly a hard bunch to please. They already have an entire franchise, a theme park, and a series of spin-off movies to continue the overarching story created by J.K. Rowling. But they are still not satisfied and are apparently lashing out over some of the casting decisions for the upcoming Max series. Apparently, they have an issue with the actor scoring a major role portraying an elderly wizard who sits at the head of the Hogwarts school we’ve all come to know in the franchise.

John Lithgow recently spoke out about landing the role of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Max series, admitting he was “very intimidated.”

“I will be following the great Michael Gambon. I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV,” Lithgow joked during an appearance on BBC’s The One Show (via Deadline). “I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine.”

Lithgow did get somewhat serious with his follow-up words, making a promise to fans who may have concerns that he’s taking over the role once held by Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Jude Law.

“But yes, I mean, it’s an enormous thrill. But I know there were plenty of people appalled that an American should be hired to play the ultimate English wizard. But, I will do my best,” Lithgow added.

[RELATED – Harry Potter’s New Dumbledore Breaks the Biggest Casting Rule From the Movies]

The Harry Potter television series at Max is set to start filming this summer and plans to adapt one book per season, with new actors stepping into the iconic roles. Joining Lithgow’s Dumbledore are the likes of Nick Frost as Hagrid and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape. The cast is also set to include Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Luke Thalon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. HBO is not ready to announce the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione yet.

One of the notable sticking points for some fans who chimed in about Lithgow is his age. The 3rd Rock From the Sun star is 79 years old now, meaning he’ll be 80 before the show starts to air. He is already older than Richard Harris when he took the original role, so many have pointed to that fact to support their complaints.

“He’s an incredible actor,” a Reddit user wrote at the time. “But I’m just worried whether he’s too old, and we might end up having another Richard Harris situation down the line. He’ll be 90 by the time they wrap this series up.”

Max’s Harry Potter series will be filming this summer with a potential premiere date one year from now. Not everybody wants a Harry Potter reboot, of course, especially when it comes in streaming series form. It’ll be interesting to see how the show turns out.

Where do you stand on the upcoming Harry Potter Max series and the choice for Dumbledore? Let us know in the comments.