The closer you look at HBO's TV series adaptation of J.K. Rowling's fantasy novels and its criticisms, the more it seems like this show has all the ingredients to silence its doubters.

HBO announced its first selected cast members for the series in a press release on Monday. According to HBO, the "Harry Potter" TV series has cast six-time Emmy and two-time Tony Award winner John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore.

The series was first announced back in 2023, when HBO first launched the new name for its streaming service, Max. It has yet to be officially confirmed that each season will span one novel, similar to Disney+’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, but each book does take place over a single school year, as did the movies.