In a shakeup recasting, HBO’s “Harry Potter” series has tapped Kit Harington to play Gilderoy Lockhart, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who dropped out of the role due to scheduling conflicts.
Hoult’s casting was announced earlier this month, but when shifting production schedules led to conflicts with the “Superman” actor’s other projects, HBO released him from the role, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
Harington, who is no stranger to HBO, will now play the defense against the dark arts professor in “Chamber of Secrets,” which will align with the show’s second season. Season 2 is slated to begin filming this fall.
The casting marks a continuation in Harington’s partnership with HBO, having starred in both “Game of Thrones” as well as “Industry,” for which he is also slated to appear in the financial drama’s fifth and final season. He’ll reprise his role as Lord Henry Muck in “Industry” after first being introduced in Season 3.
Harington will take on the role played by Kenneth Branagh in the original film series, though it won’t be Harington’s first time portraying Gilderoy Lockhart: he voiced the role in “Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Edition” of the second novel in J.K. Rowling’s book series.
It isn’t the first recasting for the HBO series either. In May, HBO announced that it would recast Ginny Weasley ahead of Season 2’s filming after actress Gracie Cochrane exited due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
With Season 1 debuting Christmas 2026, the series received an early Season 2 greenlight from the network in May, with production aiming to kick off in the fall. Season 1 writer Jon Brown (HBO’s “Succession,” “The Franchise”) was also elevated to co-showrunner alongside Francesca Gardiner for Season 2.
The official logline for Season 1 is as follows: “There is nothing special about Harry Potter – at least that’s what his Aunt Petunia always says. On his 11th birthday, a letter of admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry opens up a hidden world for Harry: one of fun, friendship and magic. But with this new adventure comes great risk as Harry is forced to face a dangerous enemy from his past.”
