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Harry Potter remake in the works at HBO
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Last: 2 mo ago by YouBet
Drunken Overseas Bettor said:SpreadsheetAg said:
John Lithgow as Dumbledore seems.... odd
He was a fantastic Churchill in the Crown. I'd imagine that influenced this casting.
Lithgow as Churchill is an odder casting choice than him as Dumbledore, IMO. Having a 6'4 American play a 5'6 Englishman was out of left field. I thought he did fine, but never understood the choice.
Granted, I'm continually amazed at the number of English and Australian actors that I discover to not be from here after the fact. So, it was good to have some revenge casting having an American play arguably the most famous and influential Englishman in the last couple of hundred years.
There are strong reports of Diverse actors for supporting roles like the Weasley siblings, and message boards indicate at least one character, noted as Black in the books, is very unlikely to be changed, though specifics remain unclear.
Regardless, we need to applaud HBO's broader effort to address past criticisms of the franchise's lack of BIPOC Representation.
Regardless, we need to applaud HBO's broader effort to address past criticisms of the franchise's lack of BIPOC Representation.
YouBet said:Drunken Overseas Bettor said:SpreadsheetAg said:
John Lithgow as Dumbledore seems.... odd
He was a fantastic Churchill in the Crown. I'd imagine that influenced this casting.
Lithgow as Churchill is an odder casting choice than him as Dumbledore, IMO. Having a 6'4 American play a 5'6 Englishman was out of left field. I thought he did fine, but never understood the choice.
Granted, I'm continually amazed at the number of English and Australian actors that I discover to not be from here after the fact. So, it was good to have some revenge casting having an American play arguably the most famous and influential Englishman in the last couple of hundred years.
I read this the first time thinking you meant Dumbledore
Children's education and entertainment is pretty important to Lithgow, from what I recall. I'm sure he was very interested in the role and he's going to do great. I don't think that's the casting choice anyone needs to worry about.
Redstone said:
The point is Representation. So not necessarily, but it's really heartening to see the producers, showrunners, writers, actors (including Radcliffe and Watson), and fans embracing more modern and updated casting decisions.
The new series, for the leading roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, announced in September 2024, explicitly stated that the production is "committed to inclusive, diverse casting."
We can hope they live up to this ideal, including for "lesser" roles.
Redstone said:
There are strong reports of Diverse actors for supporting roles like the Weasley siblings, and message boards indicate at least one character, noted as Black in the books, is very unlikely to be changed, though specifics remain unclear.
Regardless, we need to applaud HBO's broader effort to address past criticisms of the franchise's lack of BIPOC Representation.
They've already cast the Weasley siblings. As a ginger, we are the most under represented.
https://instagr.am/p/DNinUjWtkFV
So much evil in one pic.
We've been watching Potter content on HBO Max, including the game show hosted by Helen Mirren (actress).
It was wonderful to see an abundance of Diversity, including with the winning team, Hufflepuff. It was especially good to see Luke Youngblood again.
It was wonderful to see an abundance of Diversity, including with the winning team, Hufflepuff. It was especially good to see Luke Youngblood again.
Hopefully, Youngblood, especially as Lee Jordan, will have a major role to play in future projects. He could certainly be a headmaster. Everett Clopton from Hogwarts Legacy could also have his own series IMO.
Redstone said:
We've been watching Potter content on HBO Max, including the game show hosted by Helen Mirren (actress).
It was wonderful to see an abundance of Diversity, including with the winning team, Hufflepuff. It was especially good to see Luke Youngblood again.
I ended up in Hufflepuff in the Harry Potter video game. While I selected a white character, I made him have dark black hair in solidarity with BIPOC individuals.
I don't necessarily see non-BIPOC Representation as a problem, so long as there is a larger context. For example, the game show made a deliberate effort for LGBTTQQIAAP+ Representation, which the young people detailed when Mirren did the introductions (ie "When did you first read the books"?)
Though these contestants were white, the strong LGBTTQQIAAP+ Representation still fulfills the producers changes, including Dumbledore on the upcoming show better discussing his life, and IMO pairs nicely with much more significant BIPOC Representation (including the full team of Gryffindor on the game show).
Overall, they're doing well, and even my wife peeled herself away from Amazon shopping (via the app) long enough to notice and comment.
Though these contestants were white, the strong LGBTTQQIAAP+ Representation still fulfills the producers changes, including Dumbledore on the upcoming show better discussing his life, and IMO pairs nicely with much more significant BIPOC Representation (including the full team of Gryffindor on the game show).
Overall, they're doing well, and even my wife peeled herself away from Amazon shopping (via the app) long enough to notice and comment.
I can honestly say, I do not understand the Redstone trolling. Nor do I understand how someone has the sheer will to stick with that schtick for so long.
Lathspell said:
I can honestly say, I do not understand the Redstone trolling. Nor do I understand how someone has the sheer will to stick with that schtick for so long.
It's performance art.
Claude! said:Lathspell said:
I can honestly say, I do not understand the Redstone trolling. Nor do I understand how someone has the sheer will to stick with that schtick for so long.
It's performance art.
It's less than two posts a day on average, and it's pretty clear he enjoys it. I think in light of that he's fairly restrained.
Huge scandal breaks as Warwick Davis cast to replace Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick
https://ew.com/warwick-davis-returns-as-prof-flitwick-in-harry-potter-tv-series-11801232
https://ew.com/warwick-davis-returns-as-prof-flitwick-in-harry-potter-tv-series-11801232
I'm OK with this casting, but we do need to watching closely given the producer and showrunner stated commitments, as well as the promised progress by the film series original cast.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/pop-culture/2025/10/08/john-lithgow-dumbledore-harry-potter-hbo-photos/86584659007/
Goodness gracious they hit a home run on Dumbledores look
Goodness gracious they hit a home run on Dumbledores look
Wow, yes, great first impression.
Also hoping Lithgow catches the "all-knowing" aspect of Dumbledore... the twinkle in his eye, being unaffected by events and circumstances, etc. Harris did better than Gambon, though Gambon was a bit more spry/energetic (and of course, younger).
Also hoping Lithgow catches the "all-knowing" aspect of Dumbledore... the twinkle in his eye, being unaffected by events and circumstances, etc. Harris did better than Gambon, though Gambon was a bit more spry/energetic (and of course, younger).
This is a dumbledore that seems kind and whimsical to children and turn ****ing terrifying on a dime
Will be very hard to do worse than Gambon, for me.
Book 4 was abysmal but I feel like he was tolerable in the rest. He wa fairly lacking in emotion or charm though. Also a lot of writing improvements that could be made with his scenes. Would like for them to have more time for Harry/Dumbledore interactions at the end of some of the books.
I dislike most of his line delivery because I just don't think it sounds like Dumbledore, to me. He was a good actor and and all, he just wasn't Dumbledore, for me.
Richard Harris was perfect in his scenes from 1 and 2, but we never got to see his version of the Half-blood prince Dumbledore, so who's to say how he would have handled those.
The John Lithgow casting is one I am very intrigued by. It actually may be the ONLY casting that I'm actually excited to see.
For the child actors, I just hope their acting chops are decent. I don't want another Harry who makes me cringe with just about every line delivery.
So many of my critiques on the casting for this come from a point of view of loving the source material. I would LOVE to get a deeper dive into all the tangential story arcs. But, as you mentioned, I am most excited for the Harry/Dumbledore scenes that they basically neutered in all the movies. Some of those scenes are at the same level as the best dialogue moments in GoT. Hopefully the showrunners take the time to flesh those out and let the scenes breathe.
And PLEASE, when you get to the Order of the Phoenix, actually deliver all the exposition so the viewers actually understand the entire plot of the story and how everything ties in.
Richard Harris was perfect in his scenes from 1 and 2, but we never got to see his version of the Half-blood prince Dumbledore, so who's to say how he would have handled those.
The John Lithgow casting is one I am very intrigued by. It actually may be the ONLY casting that I'm actually excited to see.
For the child actors, I just hope their acting chops are decent. I don't want another Harry who makes me cringe with just about every line delivery.
So many of my critiques on the casting for this come from a point of view of loving the source material. I would LOVE to get a deeper dive into all the tangential story arcs. But, as you mentioned, I am most excited for the Harry/Dumbledore scenes that they basically neutered in all the movies. Some of those scenes are at the same level as the best dialogue moments in GoT. Hopefully the showrunners take the time to flesh those out and let the scenes breathe.
And PLEASE, when you get to the Order of the Phoenix, actually deliver all the exposition so the viewers actually understand the entire plot of the story and how everything ties in.
Lathspell said:
I dislike most of his line delivery because I just don't think it sounds like Dumbledore, to me. He was a good actor and and all, he just wasn't Dumbledore, for me.
Richard Harris was perfect in his scenes from 1 and 2, but we never got to see his version of the Half-blood prince Dumbledore, so who's to say how he would have handled those.
The John Lithgow casting is one I am very intrigued by. It actually may be the ONLY casting that I'm actually excited to see.
For the child actors, I just hope their acting chops are decent. I don't want another Harry who makes me cringe with just about every line delivery.
So many of my critiques on the casting for this come from a point of view of loving the source material. I would LOVE to get a deeper dive into all the tangential story arcs. But, as you mentioned, I am most excited for the Harry/Dumbledore scenes that they basically neutered in all the movies. Some of those scenes are at the same level as the best dialogue moments in GoT. Hopefully the showrunners take the time to flesh those out and let the scenes breathe.
And PLEASE, when you get to the Order of the Phoenix, actually deliver all the exposition so the viewers actually understand the entire plot of the story and how everything ties in.
I think we will get a lot of that and more. Set photos show Lithgow with presumably Flamel and his wife. Maybe we actually get to see him approach them in a flashback or a cold open to convince them to give him the stone?
Oh, that would be really cool if they expand a bit to show what's going on around the main story. I really want this to be good.
Lathspell said:
Oh, that would be really cool if they expand a bit to show what's going on around the main story. I really want this to be good.
I think this is the thing the show can really thrive on. It can be both accurate to the books but allowing for expansion on scenes we know happened but only saw as exposition. Stuff with the Marauders will be wild. Cold opens of the Weasley twins causing mass havoc. Even something as fun as some portraits talking amongst themselves. I have a suspicion that if the main trio can deliver, this will be superior to the original movies.
I'm definitely hopeful it is superior to the movies. Anytime I've ever known someone to watch the movies, but had not read the books, I have this small feeling of sadness for them. They are getting a watered down, poor adaptation of such a magical series.
Those viewers are going to be astounded by all the subplots and (hopefully) differences we get in a series.
It's for this reason that I take such issue with certain castings.
Those viewers are going to be astounded by all the subplots and (hopefully) differences we get in a series.
It's for this reason that I take such issue with certain castings.
Agreed... set up to be better than the movies and do the story justice. And the casting will be key. For fans, you could equate it to Pattinson being cast as Batman. Certainly raised my eyebrows initially, but he ultimately delivered.
I'd say the kids will likely be the most key, but the rest can really bolster it. If they do the deep dive to accurately represent the book, the casting will have fewer places to hide.
Willing to see how it plays out, but seriously hope this works.
I'd say the kids will likely be the most key, but the rest can really bolster it. If they do the deep dive to accurately represent the book, the casting will have fewer places to hide.
Willing to see how it plays out, but seriously hope this works.
I'm tempted to reread these books. I don't really recall much about them and do not recall how much different the movie were than the books either. I was older than the younger folks who look at these books as their Star Wars, but I remember enjoying them all the same.
Going back to the feeling of reading the books for the first time is a joy everyone should have. When 7 came out, my brother and I made a deal that when we called each other, you had to say what page you were on before anything else so nobody got spoiled.
The costume designs have been incredible so far. The Vernon and Petunia stuff (even though Vernon isn't a landwhale) feel like perfect 80s style, something I don't think the films properly captured. It felt more 2000s in Muggleland
Yeah I am in a similar boat. Actually read them for the first time as an adult (after having seen all the movies) and was blown away. Was going through some tough times in my life and I tell people all the time that these books changed my life.
Now that some time has passed - think I started them in 2017 ish - I would like to re-read and see if they all capture me the same way it did back then. I hope this new project turns out to be great.
Now that some time has passed - think I started them in 2017 ish - I would like to re-read and see if they all capture me the same way it did back then. I hope this new project turns out to be great.
If I can play devils advocate for a sec, I'm not sure how hbo can put this series out when like 1.5-2.5 years happen between their seasons for successful shows. HBO says this will be a 10 year long deal with seasons being actually consecutive but that would be the most ambitious things hbo has ever done.
Mega Lops said:
If I can play devils advocate for a sec, I'm not sure how hbo can put this series out when like 1.5-2.5 years happen between their seasons for successful shows. HBO says this will be a 10 year long deal with seasons being actually consecutive but that would be the most ambitious things hbo has ever done.
Lithgow is 80 in 10 days.
Will end up having yet another Dumbledore recast before they get to the end.
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