First look at John Lithgow’s Dumbledore in HBO’s HARRY POTTER series in set photos

THE Harry Potter HBO’s reboot is shaping up to be one of the most talked about fantasy projects in development, and now we finally get our first real look at John Lithgow stepping into the legendary role of Albus Dumbledore.

The new set photos give fans a glimpse of the Hogwarts headmaster like never before, and it’s clear that the creative team is putting serious effort into capturing the essence of JK Rowling’s world while adding something new to it.

The imminent Harry Potter The TV series on HBO Max is designed to be a more faithful adaptation of the original novels. While we don’t yet know how well it will deliver on that promise narratively, it’s already clear that the visual direction will stay true to the iconic look of the wizarding world.

The Hogwarts Express, the robes, the castle, everything echoes the beloved images from the films, giving everything a slightly new texture and tone.

On X, the Wizarding World Direct account shared photos of Lithgow in costume, filming scenes on a windswept beach. He is seen wearing flowing wizard robes and Dumbledore’s signature long white beard.

Coverage is expected from the first season Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonethis beach sequence doesn’t line up with anything in the book. Could the series add completely new material to enrich the story?

It seems likely that, as one of the shorter books, Philosopher’s Stone doesn’t have enough content for an entire season of television without some creative expansion.

We already know that the adaptation will include moments cut from the original film like Vernon Dursley’s bizarre encounter with a wizard on the street, but new scenes like this could help fill out the world even more.

Interestingly, this mysterious beach could also serve as an early nod to a later plot. Fans will remember the mysterious cave of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princewhere Dumbledore and Harry recover one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.

That scene isn’t part of the first book, but the showrunners could set the stage ahead of time by showing Dumbledore investigating traces of Voldemort’s past. Considering that Tom Riddle visited a seaside cave as a child, it’s easy to imagine this version of Dumbledore exploring that place in search of clues to the Dark Lord’s early experiments with dark magic.

There has been a lot of discussion about HBO Harry Potter especially on how much it will resemble or diverge from the Warner Bros. films. Also Chris Colombowho directed the first two films, commented on how the new adaptation should find its own voice.

These photos suggest the show is doing just that. While the imagery remains faithful, the narrative seems willing to branch out and expand the mythology in new directions.

Regardless, seeing Lithgow embody Dumbledore with his signature warmth and gravitas? I can’t wait to see that performance.