Jason Isaacs Suggests Unexpected Actor for Lucius Malfoy in HBO's Harry Potter 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 weighing in on who should step into his shoes as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series. In a recent interview with Variety, Isaacs expressed his admiration for Meryl Streep, suggesting her as the perfect candidate to take on the role of the iconic Slytherin.

"Meryl Streep," Isaacs declared confidently. "She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do." Streep, who has previously portrayed a man in the HBO miniseries "Angels in America," playing an elderly male rabbi among other characters, certainly has the versatility to take on such a challenge.

Despite his strong endorsement, Isaacs remains hands-off when it comes to offering advice to Streep or any other actor who might assume the role of 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 installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2." As for the upcoming adaptation, the casting news remains sparse, with only one role confirmed at the time of this article's publication.

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John Lithgow is set to star as Albus Dumbledore, a role previously filled by Richard Harris and then Michael Gambon. The casting for other pivotal roles, such as Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall, originally portrayed by Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith respectively, is still in the works. Rumors suggest that Black Mirror star Paapa Essiedu is close to being cast as Snape, and Jessica Jones star Janet McTeer may be cast as McGonagall, though no official announcements have been made for these roles yet.