TheHarry Potterremake officially has its Albus Dumbledore, and this has gotten me thinking about how he could be best used in the coming episodes. The TV show’s first season will be based on theHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonebook, with eight full episodes (approximately eight total hours) dedicated to Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. While casting news has been limited, we know for certain that John Lithgow will be the newest actor to play Professor Dumbledore. However, this Hogwarts headmaster isn’t as prevalent inSorcerer’s Stoneas in future installments.
Harry and Dumbledore eventually develop a mentor/mentee relationship in theHarry Potterseries. However, inSorcerer’s Stone, the old man is a far more mysterious and distant figure. From Harry’s and readers' perspectives, Dumbledore is almost omniscient and god-like. We can’t see what he is doing behind the scenes, but any behavior that Harry does witness is bizarre and mysterious. I have little doubt that Lithgow will manage these mannerisms perfectly. However,I would love to see a little bit more of his character inHarry Potterseason 1than we got in theSorcerer’s Stonebook and movie.
We Can Have A Better Understanding Of This Character Right Off the Bat
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
We now know that Dumbledore was busy at work planning Harry’s future from the moment Lord Voldemort fell. The wise old man recognized that a magical fate was at work here. All he had to do was observe, test, and carefully move pieces here and there to ensure a favorable outcome. Of course, we had no idea that this was what Dumbledore was doing back when we readHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He was just a mysterious character in the background—always watching, but completely beyond young Harry’s understanding. HBO’sHarry Potterremake could change this.
It would be interesting to see the Wizarding world from Dumbledore’s perspective in the earliest moments of theHarry Potterremake. Right from episode one,we could follow Lithgow’s character as he learns what had happened to Lily and James Potter, and see his wheels turning as he discovers that a one-year-old boy thwarted Voldemort. From there, every couple of episodes could return to Dumbledore’s point of view. We could see him talking to teachers about Harry, doing research into Voldemort’s whereabouts, and more.
John Lithgow Can Answer For Dumbledore’s Puzzling Sorcerer’s Stone Behavior
Seeing Dumbledore’s Choices Behind The Scenes Would Be Valuable
Taking Dumbledore’s point of view inHarry Potterseason 1 would make him a more tangible character from the get-go. However, perhaps even more importantly, it would also allow us to make sense of some of the headmaster’s most peculiar behavior inSorcerer’s Stone. It has long been bizarre that the Hogwarts headmaster would even bother with the various protections surrounding the titular stone. His own enchantment was enough to keep Voldemort from claiming it, andthe fact that three 11-year-olds got through the other protections proves they were quite useless. However, Dumbledore surely had his reasons.
By the end of Harry Potter season 1, we would know that every step of the story was by Dumbledore’s design.
John Lithgow’s character inHarry Potterseason 1 could provide some answers if the series takes his perspective. We could actually see Dumbledore asking the six teachers to contribute a form of protection, but he would stipulate that they must not be too difficult to get past. This would naturally puzzle the likes of McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and the rest. However, over time,it would ultimately be revealed that Dumbledore specifically set things up so that Harry could face Lord Voldemort in front of the Mirror of Erised. By the end ofHarry Potterseason 1, we would know that every step of the story was by Dumbledore’s design.
The Harry Potter Remake Must Come With New Answers (Without Spoiling Future Stories)
It Will Require A Delicate Balance
Of course,HBO will have to be careful if it takes the point of view of otherHarry Pottercharactersto provide more information and context. It’s never overtly revealed in theHarry Potterbooks that Dumbledore specifically intended for the protections surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone to be first-year friendly, so including this in the show would be a creative liberty. However, it wouldn’t be an abuse of canon, since there’s evidence inHarry Potterthat DumbledorewantedHarry to go after the Sorcerer’s Stone. Later in the books, he tells the boy that he felt he should be able to confront Voldemort if he wanted to, that first year.
Harry guessed inSorcerer’s Stonethat Dumbledore had been allowing Harry to test his strength. Later, inHalf-Blood Prince, the headmaster finally confirmed that he was correct. Still, the full extent of this is unclear.
If theHarry Potterremake limits itself to expanding the story in ways that still align with the canon story, even if the details weren’t previously confirmed, we could ultimately end up with an even more cohesive and complete fictional universe. This would require a careful balance, sincenew audiences must still get big reveals at the appropriate times. We can see inHarry Potterseason 1 that Dumbledore used the Sorcerer’s Stone as bait to bring Lord Voldemort out of hiding, but these episodes must not reveal the extent of the headmaster’s manipulations. If everything is done right, the story will benefit in the end.
