HBO has cast a spell of its own, swapping out one actor for another in a key role for the second season of its upcoming Harry Potter series. Kit Harington, best known as Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, will play the notoriously vain Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. He replaces Nicholas Hoult, who had been originally cast in the role but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
Gilderoy Lockhart is a major character in the second Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He is the celebrity Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who is more concerned with his fame and “Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award” than actually teaching. Kenneth Branagh famously portrayed the character in the 2002 film adaptation.
Hoult’s casting was announced just weeks ago, but shifting production schedules for Harry Potter Season 2 created a conflict with the actor’s other commitments, including reprising his role as Lex Luthor in DC’s Superman films. This forced him to exit the project, and HBO quickly pivoted to Harington.
Interestingly, this won’t be Harington’s first time playing Lockhart. He previously voiced the character in the star-studded Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions released on Audible in 2025. In a featurette for the audiobook, he said, “I think there’s a little bit of Gilderoy Lockhart in all of us. The main thing with him is to come in and have fun”. This prior experience with the character likely made him the ideal choice for the live-action role.
This is the latest development for the highly anticipated HBO series, which will adapt one book per season. Season 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will premiere on Christmas Day, 2026. Season 2, which covers the events of Chamber of Secrets, is scheduled to begin filming this fall, with Harington now set to bring the pompous Lockhart to life.
