Gary Oldman Wants To Play This Character In HBO's Harry Potter TV Series

HBO's upcoming "Harry Potter" series continues to attract attention. This time, Gary Oldman has shared his views on the show — as well as a very particular character he would have liked to play on it. Oldman, of course, played Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) godfather and notable wizard Sirius Black in the film adaptations, but in a new interview with Variety, he admitted an interest in playing an even more notable character, should the opportunity arise:

"I would have fancied a shot at Dumbledore. But I'm getting up there, I'm getting up there now. Just the right age for Dumbledore."

In the same interview, Oldman did note that he thinks the makers of the show will likely steer clear of actors from the movies, so it doesn't exactly seem like he's holding his breath until someone offers him the role ... which is a good thing, considering that the show has already cast John Lithgow as Dumbledore. 

Funnily enough, it seems that the desire to play characters who are older than their own seems to run in the "Harry Potter" movie family, Radcliffe (who's unlikely to return, given that he's among the many "Harry Potter" stars who have condemned author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans comments) has stated that if he would hypothetically appear in the HBO series, he'd like to play Sirius Black. 

Apart from discussing his dream "Harry Potter" role, Oldman enthused about the many cut "Harry Potter" movie subplots that could be in the HBO series, so he'll probably be almost as happy to watch the show as he would have been to act in it. Still, even without his presence, the HBO show won't be shy of star power.

Along with Lithgow, the announced cast for the "Harry Potter" series includes several high-profile names like Nick Frost (who's just about the perfect choice to play Rubeus Hagrid) and "Ozark" and "Jessica Jones" star Janet McTeer (as Minerva McGonagall), combined with rapidly rising stars like Paapa Essiedu of "I May Destroy You" fame as Severus Snape. The series will also feature the perennially under-the-radar comedy great Paul Whitehouse ("Fast Show") as Argus Filch. There is a strong argument to be made that HBO's "Harry Potter" series is destined to flop, but if this ends up happening, the failure certainly won't be the casting department's fault.