Jason Isaacs Has a Surprising Pick for Who Should Play Lucius Malfoy in HBO's Harry Potter TV Series

Thailand may be a world away from the magical halls of Hogwarts, but that hasn't stopped Jason Isaacs, star of The White Lotus Season 3, from sharing his thoughts on who should take over his iconic role as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series. In a recent interview with Variety, Isaacs suggested none other than Meryl Streep for the part.

"Meryl Streep," Isaacs declared, praising her versatility. "She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do." Streep has previously showcased her range by playing a male character in the HBO miniseries adaptation of the epic play Angels in America, where she portrayed an elderly male rabbi among other roles. Given her track record, it's clear she could bring a unique flair to Lucius Malfoy.

Despite his strong endorsement, Isaacs refrained from offering any advice to Streep or any other potential Lucius Malfoy. "I wouldn’t have any advice at all. Why would I bother?" he remarked. "I know some of the people they’re casting already. They’re brilliant actors. It’s going to be fantastic, and the last thing they need is advice from some old fart like me."

Isaacs first brought Lucius Malfoy to life in the second Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and continued to portray the character through to the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. As for the new adaptation, only one casting has been confirmed at the time of this article's publication.

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John Lithgow is set to take on the role of Albus Dumbledore, a character previously portrayed by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. The casting for other key roles, such as Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall, originally played by Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith respectively, is nearing completion. Black Mirror's Paapa Essiedu is reportedly in talks to play Snape, while Jessica Jones' Janet McTeer is said to be close to being cast as McGonagall, though no official announcements have been made for these roles yet.