Kit Harington to play Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter series

Kit Harington is heading back to HBO, this time as one of the wizarding world’s most vain 'frauds'. The Game of Thrones star has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who has left the production because of scheduling conflicts.

The casting change was confirmed on Monday, August 24, by the official Harry Potter social media account. “Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to schedule,” the account said, announcing that Harington would step into the role.
 

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Hoult had been announced as Lockhart earlier this month. According to Deadline, the actor’s existing commitments created scheduling problems with the second season’s production. He is also set to reprise his role as Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman sequel, “Man of Tomorrow”.

Harington’s casting carries an unusual twist: he has already played Lockhart, albeit only with his voice. The actor voiced the character in Audible’s “Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions” of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, released in 2025.

In the second Harry Potter novel, Lockhart arrives at Hogwarts as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, boasting a long list of supposed heroic exploits. He is eventually exposed as a fraud who has taken credit for the achievements of other witches and wizards by erasing their memories.

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Kenneth Branagh previously portrayed Lockhart in Warner Bros.’ 2002 film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

Harington is already closely associated with HBO. He played Jon Snow in all eight seasons of “Game of Thrones” and later joined the network’s financial drama “Industry”, appearing in its third and fourth seasons. He also starred in the three-part historical drama “Gunpowder”.

The new Harry Potter series is being developed as a television adaptation of JK Rowling’s seven-book series, with each season expected to draw from one of the novels. Season two will adapt “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

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The first season, officially titled “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, is scheduled to premiere on December 25, 2026. Dominic McLaughlin plays Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

The ensemble also includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy. Francesca Gardiner serves as showrunner, while Mark Mylod is executive producer and will direct multiple episodes.

Production on the second season is expected to begin this autumn. A premiere date for the season has not yet been announced.