Posted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: harry potter, jk rowling

Harry Potter Series Reportedly Eyeing Mark Rylance for Dumbledore

Reports are HBO and Warner Bros. Television's adaptation of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels is eyeing Mark Rylance to play Dumbledore.

If Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO and Warner Bros. Television's upcoming multi-season series adaptation of bestselling author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels (more on that in a minute) has its way, Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light) will be their Dumbledore. At least, that's the case if what sources shared with Variety turns out to be true – though the report adds that Warner Bros. Television isn't in negotiations yet and that things are just at the stage where interest and availability are being looked into. Though reps for Rylance did not respond to the report, HBO shared in a statement, "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."

Harry Potter: WBTVG CEO/Chairman Channing Dungey Talks Series

During the international television trade show MIPCOM in October, Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, had some insights to share about the project. According to Dungey, the series will be "a little bit more in-depth than a two-hour film," with the series able to devote more space to tell each book's story. "We've got our fantastic writing staff in place, and they are doing what they need to do. And casting calls have opened up in the U.K. and Ireland, so the process is moving along. It's going quite well," Dungey shared. In terms of being able to adapt "Harry Potter" as a series, Dungey noted that it opens up more creative possibilities. "It's an unbelievable dream, honestly, and as somebody who is a huge fan of books, the opportunity to get to explore them in maybe a little bit more in-depth than you can in just a two-hour film, that's the whole reason we're on this journey," Dungey added.

The stories from each of Rowling's Harry Potter books will become (from the initial statement that was released when the series news first dropped) "a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

The series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.

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