“Dumbledore about to hit voldemort with a shakespearean monologue” — John Lithgow cast as Dumbledore in HBO’s Harry Potter series sparks memes

In another delightful bit of news, John Lithgow has officially been cast to play Dumbledore in HBO's Harry Potter TV reboot. He has an immense body of work behind him, having starred in Dexter, Shrek, and Interstellar, among many other critically acclaimed projects. His capture presents a coup for HBO, and audiences can now look forward to John entertaining them when he assumes the role of the world's most whimsical wizard.

John Lithgow's casting as Dumbledore sends the Internet into raptures

The announcement of John Lithgow's casting as Dumbledore comes on the heels of a series of announcements made by HBO for the Harry Potter TV reboot. Alongside him, the cast also includes Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.

John Lithgow being confirmed to play Dumbledore was certainly a left-field announcement, as the news hit fans like a truck. While the initial reaction was pure disbelief, fans gradually warmed up to the idea while poking fun at the absurdity of the situation:

"Dumbledore about to hit voldemort with a shakespearean monologue", joked one fan (via X / @svenwontmiss)

"John lithgow as dumbledore...that's like casting justin bieber as batman", quipped another (via X / @theanakaren)

Let's be clear: Lithgow's acting range is truly absurd. The man can switch between playing a serial killer in Dexter to a goofball in Shrek seamlessly. His body of work speaks for itself, and if John's prior record is anything to go by, he might really give Voldemort sleepless nights in the TV reboot!

Fans joined in the fun, but they couldn't help but imagine a Dumbledore so lethal that even Voldemort would be left shaken by his prowess, if he wasn't already. Amid the ruckus on X, some fans couldn’t resist referencing Lithgow’s past roles:

"Ah sh*t dumbledore is a serial killer now?", quipped one fan (via X / GrindAndGrin)

"Lmao for a second I was like Winston Churchill ???", joked another (via X / @highlyinflamed)

While many fans praised the casting, purists questioned the wisdom in casting an American actor in such a British role. Little do they know that the new Dumbledore has already been taking British classes for the past decade, with Winston Churchill no less!

Speaking of confusion, one fan joked that HBO misread the call sheet and cast Lithgow for the wrong wizard:

"He looks more like slughead or whatever he’s called", commented one fan, pleading the makers to cast John as Slughorn instead.

One of the defining features of Dumbledore is his silver mane, and another fan poked fun at John for not having one.

"Ermmmm can he still grow a beard? He looks a bit soft"

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John Lithgow's casting as Dumbledore sparked a wave of hilarity on social media, but the general reception was positive from the fans. The apprehension was certainly understandable - after all, when you think of Dumbledore, you don’t immediately picture the serial killer from Dexter.

The casting decision was hilariously unexpected but could yet provide the kind of chaotic brilliance that HBO needs to make the show completely bonkers!

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