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- Latest reports say John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore
- Cillian Murphy favourite for the role of Lord Voldemort
- HBO's Harry Potter series set to air in late 2026 or early 2027
Latest reports say John Lithgow is in final negotiations to play Albus Dumbledore
The new HBO Harry Potter series is getting closer and closer to starting filming and betting odds continue to be given on who will play some of the biggest roles.
Recent reports in Deadline say that six-time Emmy winner John Lithgow is in "final negotiations" to play the iconic role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming series.
Latest odds around the role have seen Lithgow's odds now at 1/5 to play one of the more integral characters in the series with Dumbledore appearing throughout the books and movies.
Previous odds have seen Charles Dance and Hugh Grant top the market for Dumbledore but they've now drifted following the news of Lithgow's reported negotiations.
| Who will play Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter TV series? | Odds* | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| John Lithgow | 1/5 | 83.3% |
| Charles Dance | 5/1 | 16.7% |
| Hugh Grant | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Brian Cox | 9/1 | 10.0% |
| Jonathan Pryce | 12/1 | 7.7% |
What the expert says...
Cillian Murphy favourite for the role of Lord Voldemort
Cillian Murphy has been backed in for the role of Lord Voldemort in the past couple of months with the film series actor Ralph Fiennes backing the Irishman for the role in the TV series.
Various rumours online have linked Murphy with the role of Voldemort in the HBO series which has seen his odds tumble to 1/2 to star as the iconic villain throughout the show.
Fiennes has given his full support for Murphy for the character while also telling Variety back in 2022 that he would play Voldemort once more saying there would be “no question about it" when asked if he would do it again.
| Who will play Lord Voldemort in HBO Harry Potter series? | Odds* | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Cillian Murphy | 1/2 | 66.7% |
| Ralph Fiennes | 2/1 | 33.3% |
| Benedict Cumberbatch | 4/1 | 20.0% |
| Bill Nighy | 5/1 | 16.7% |
| Mads Mikkelsen | 8/1 | 11.1% |
HBO's Harry Potter series set to air in late 2026 or early 2027
The latest updates around the HBO Harry Potter series has seen more than 32,000 application tapes sent in for the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has said that the show will air in 2026 and that could well be the case with the end of that year provisionally pencilled in.
CEO and Chairman of HBO and Max Content Casey Bloys has also stated that he sees the series airing on their platform at the end of 2026 or even in 2027.
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*As betting sites currently aren't taking bets on this event, odds have been compiled as theoretical probability from an entertainment perspective only and come from an industry expert
