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On Wednesday, set photos were revealed of John Lithgow in his latest role as Albus Dumbledore in HBO\u2019s upcoming \u201cHarry Potter\u201d series. While first looks of other cast members<\/a> were also revealed, Lithgow stole the spotlight on social media.<\/p>\n The 79-year-old American actor, known for his roles in \u201cShrek,\u201d \u201cConclave\u201d and \u201cFootloose,\u201d accepted the role as Dumbledore earlier this year, as reported by the Deseret News<\/a>.<\/p>\n He confirmed his role to Screen Rant<\/a> in February, saying, \u201cI just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it\u2019s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I\u2019m afraid. But I\u2019m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to \u2018Harry Potter.\u2019 That\u2019s why it\u2019s been such a hard decision. I\u2019ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I\u2019ve said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Lithgow will be the third actor to portray the headmaster of Hogwarts, following Richard Harris and Micheal Gambon, who played the role in the original \u201cHarry Potter\u201d films. Harris portrayed Dumbledore in the first two films, but following his death in late 2002, Gambon took over the role for the remaining movies.<\/p>\n Notably, Lithgow will be the first American to take on the role, as previously reported by the Deseret News<\/a>. So far, only two other Americans have joined him on set, Bel Powley (Petunia Dursley) and Daniel Rigby (Vernon Dursley).<\/p>\n The original films\u2019 production enforced a strict British-only casting rule. Only one American actor was previously cast, and their role was small and non-speaking, according to Indiewire<\/a>.<\/p>\nFans react to Lithgow as Dumbledore<\/h3>\n