The six-time Emmy winner is in final negotiations to play the beloved character in HBO's high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy books, reports Deadline. While the news is spreading throughout the industry of Lithgow's onboarding,

The two-time Oscar nominee, who has played the likes of Winston Churchill and Roald Dahl before, could become the first confirmed named for the new show.

John Lithgow is in talks to play Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s upcoming adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books, Variety has confirmed with sources. In the books, and in the film adaptations, Dumbledore is the caring but mysterious headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.