Gary Oldman Open to Return to ‘Harry Potter’ Universe Through TV Reboot: “I Could Do Dumbledore”

Gary Oldman wouldn’t mind embarking on another trip to Hogwarts.

The veteran actor, who memorably portrayed Sirius Black in four Harry Potter films in the 2000s, said he is not opposed to boarding the new cast of the TV reboot from HBO, which is currently searching for its protagonists Harry, Ron and Hermione.

While he told IndieWire at the Emmys red carpet that the show’s creative team has not approached him about any roles, he added that he felt his character was not as present in the films as he would have liked him to be — a sentiment long-shared by fans of the franchise.

“I love Sirius,” the Slow Horses star added. “He wasn’t in it enough. He turned up and then he went through the veil.”

Although the Oscar winner is not expecting any calls soon, however he is open to return on the small screen in another equally beloved role: “I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people,” he noted. “Maybe in a few years, I could do Dumbledore.”

As Sirius Black, godfather to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and outlaw-until-proven-innocent, Oldman starred in four titles from Warner Bros.: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. His most substantive appearance was in 2004’s Azkaban, which introduces the character and his origin story, with the plot largely revolving around his prison escape and connection to Harry. 

Meanwhile, subsequent releases Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows were cameos, with Order of the Phoenix spelling the end of the character’s existence on the mortal realm at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) in a devastating and heartbreaking battle scene.

As previously reported, the HBO series, due in 2026, launched a casting call for the iconic (and often trouble-making) trio earlier this month, looking for child actors between 9 and 11. 

The creative team includes Succession duo Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod as writer and director, respectively. Gardiner will also serve as showrunner, with both executive producing.

HBO and Max Content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys has lofty goals for the project, which he stated would run for 10 consecutive years, overturning previous notion that the project would draw on J.K. Rowling’s seven books for an equivalent number of seasons.