Kit Harington is joining HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart. The Game of Thrones star replaces Nicholas Hoult in the role. Hoult reportedly left the project because of scheduling conflicts. HBO confirmed Harington’s casting to the BBC.
Harington is no stranger to the wizarding world. He previously voiced Lockhart in the audio version of Harry Potter.
“I’m a huge Potter fan. He’s one of my favorite characters,” he told Collider.
He also called the role “a real dream” after getting the chance to play Lockhart again.
Meanwhile, Lockhart is one of the biggest characters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The charming wizard becomes Hogwarts’ Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, his confidence hides a very different truth. Kenneth Branagh played the character in the original films. Harington now gets the chance to give him a fresh twist.
The new series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Jon Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, while Nick Frost takes on Hagrid. The first season is expected to premiere on Christmas this year on HBO Max. After that, season two will adapt The Chamber of Secrets.
The series could run for about 10 years as it covers all seven books. It may also reunite Harington with Game of Thrones director Mark Mylod, who is working on the new series.
