Huge movie star to replace Dame Maggie Smith in brand new Harry Potter series

A top Netflix actress is rumoured to be in discussions to replace the late Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.

Janet McTeer, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress, could be the new face of the beloved Hogwarts deputy headmistress, according to Deadline. The 63 year old actress is best known for her role in the 2000 comedy Tumbleweed and as attorney Helen Piece in the popular TV show Ozark. Meanwhile, Paapa Essiedu is reportedly finalising his deal to play Severus Snape, originally portrayed by Alan Rickman.

The 34 year old actor has been involved in projects such as The Lazarus Project and Gangs Of London. HBO recently stated: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals”.

John Lithgow is currently the only confirmed cast member, announcing he will be playing Albus Dumbledore in the HBO series. The 79 year old actor expressed surprise at being chosen to fill the shoes of the magical headmaster, a role first played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon.

“It’s a new chapter of my life. I’m afraid”, he confessed, “But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes”.

Dumbledore, the fictional headmaster of Hogwarts and a mentor to Harry Potter, is one of the most cherished characters among fans of Rowling’s original books and the film series. However, not all die-hard fans were thrilled with his casting, arguing that a British actor should have landed the role, not an American, as per the original films.

On X, fans expressed their disappointment: “I can’t understand why John Lithgow is the new Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter HBO series. Dumbledore is British, Lithgow is from the USA”. Another said: “Nothing against John Lithgow, but Dumbledore and the whole Harry Potter franchise is British”.

A third commented: “I love John Lithgow. Absolutely bananas they’re not hiring a British actor to play Dumbledore”. A fourth chimed in: “WarnerBros quite literally need to pull something out of their hat to save Harry Potter. John Lithgow as Dumbledore certainly feels like it’s going to put a lot of people off wanting to watch it. Whatever happened to keeping it all British”?

The new Harry Potter television series promises a deeper exploration of the wizarding world and could run for up to 10 years.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Source: Mirror