New Harry Potter TV show reveals Dumbledore casting

Harry Potter is "in final stages" of casting American actor John Lithgrow for the role of Dumbledore.

Lithgow, 79, is known for playing Winston Churchill in The Crown and starring in the sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun. His other roles include voicing Lord Farquaad in Shrek.

The four-times Emmys winner is now hopeful to take after Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films.

The upcoming TV series will feature a brand new cast and is expected to start filming this summer.

It will be "a faithful adaptation of the iconic books" by author JK Rowling and is due to last for a decade, streaming service HBO Max revealed.

No actors have yet been officially confirmed despite an open casting call to find the three young stars.

"We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation," HBO told Deadline, in response to the reports about Lithgow.

"As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals."