In today’s magical news, Gary Oldman—yes, the Gary Oldman, aka the wizard who took “godfather” to a whole new level as Sirius Black—has some thoughts on the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. And spoiler alert: those thoughts are as intriguing as a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (and probably less likely to taste like earwax).
In case you’ve somehow managed to forget (how dare you), the 66-year-old legend played Sirius Black in the film series based on J.K. Rowling’s novels. You know, the dog-loving, Azkaban-escaping, brooding-but-fun uncle figure we all wished would magically adopt us? Yeah, that guy.
So, why is Harry Potter back in the headlines again, you ask? Well, HBO has decided it’s time to hit the reboot button and tell the story again—this time across seven whole seasons. That’s right, get ready to re-watch literally every spell, snitch, and sassy McGonagall comeback but stretched out for a longer binge. HBO has even put out a casting call for Harry, Hermione, and Ron, meaning somewhere out there, a tiny human is practicing their best “You’re a wizard, Harry” in front of a bathroom mirror as we speak.
But what about Gary Oldman? Could he be gracing us with his spell-slinging again? At the 2024 Emmy Awards, a very important question was lobbed his way: “Gary, my dude, are you coming back to Hogwarts, or what?” Okay, maybe not in those exact words, but you get the drift.
Turns out, Oldman hasn’t exactly been floo-called by HBO just yet. “No one’s approached me,” he casually confessed to IndieWire—which, considering how wizards communicate, is probably a good thing. Imagine finding a letter stuffed inside a howler at your breakfast table.
But here’s the plot twist: Gary doesn’t seem too fussed about reprising his role as everyone’s favorite wizard godfather. In fact, he hinted that Sirius Black didn’t get enough screen time in the first place (accurate, but still ouch). When asked if he thought he’d return as Sirius, he practically whipped out his wand and disapparated out of the idea. “Nah,” he shrugged, probably while giving a cool nod like a wizard who’s seen it all.
But! There’s a shimmer of hope—one that twinkles in his eyes like a well-polished time-turner. If he were to return to Hogwarts, he’d be down to play…wait for it…Albus Dumbledore. Yep, you read that right. Gary Oldman as the wisest, beardiest, and most cryptic headmaster of Hogwarts!
“I would bet my money that they will get a whole new cast of people,” he said, before adding with a grin, “Maybe in a few years, I could do Dumbledore.”
Imagine it. Gary Oldman with a flowing beard, dishing out wisdom like “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live” while secretly thinking about how much fun it would be to turn back into Sirius and throw a few hexes.
