Harry Potter: Son of Late Dumbledore Actor Doesn’t Want a TV Reboot Either

The Harry Potter fandom seems to be divided over the prospect of the new Harry Potter TV series that Warner Bros. is making, which will be a much longer and more detailed retelling of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. As such, the studio will need to recast each of the iconic characters from the Harry Potter series, who were played by actors whose performances are (for the most part) beloved by an entire generation of moviegoers. There’s no bigger supporting role in the Harry Potter stories than that of Albus Dumbledore, who was first played in the films by late actor Richard Harris. 

However, one actor who does not want the opportunity to play the new Dumbledore is, ironically enough, his son, actor Jared Harris! 

“No, thank you,” was Jared Harris’s curt response to being asked if he’d be interested in playing the new Dumbledore while doing an interview with The Independent’s Go to Bat. Not only was the Mad Men and HBO’s Chernobyl star against taking on his late father’s role – he seemed to be against the entire idea of rebooting Harry Potter in this way: “Also, I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic – leave them alone.”

Jared Harris as Dumbledore would’ve been a lovely Easter egg for fans who loved Richard Harris, so that’s unfortunate that it won’t be happening. Of course, there’s been another possibility for the new Dumbledore that some fans view as a tasty Easter egg: Sirius Black actor Gary Oldman has said he’d be willing to take on the role: 

“I love, Sirius. He wasn’t in it enough… I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people. Maybe in a few years, I could do Dumbledore.” 

Oldman as Dumbledore would make a lot of fans happy and be a safe bet. Oldman made Sirius Black one of the most beloved characters in the original films and remains one of the most beloved character actors working today. You know Dumbledore isn’t beyond his reach if you’ve seen his work in Apple TV’s Slow Horses. 

To his credit, Jared Harris did, admittedly, soften up a bit about a Harry Potter TV series, acknowledging that there is “a lot of storytelling” that a Harry Potter TV series could do, whereas the film’s could not. Ginny Weasley actress Bonnie Wright recently echoed similar sentiments, stating that she hopes a Harry Potter TV show can invest more time in things like building Harry and Ginny’s relationship later in the series. 

The Harry Potter television reboot is set to premiere on HBO in 2026.