Original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris’s son, Jared Harris, is not interested in playing his father’s role in the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ series.
Richard Harris played the Hogwarts headmaster in 2001’s ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and 2002’s ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.’ After his death in October 2002, Michael Gambon replaced him.
The Independent recently asked if his son would consider taking over the role in the reboot, and he replied, “No, thank you. Also, I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic—leave them alone.”
Despite recognizing the original series’ success, Jared still admitted that there was “a lot of storytelling” taken out that the HBO show could explore thanks to longer runtime. Each season is currently planned to adapt one of J.K. Rowling’s seven books.
Francesca Gardiner will serve as showrunner for the remake, with Mark Mylod joining as an executive producer and director. The casting process is still underway.
A public call for the lead roles, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, came in June 2024. HBO is seeking British or Irish children aged 9–11 by April 2025, regardless of race, ethnicity, and gender identity.
Some original cast members also showed interest in joining the show’s cast. Sirius Black actor Gary Oldman mentioned in a recent chat that he might be open to playing Dumbledore “maybe in a few years.”
Daniel Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis, on the other hand, are not willing to return.
