Nicholas Hoult Drops Out of “Harry Potter ”Series, Kit Harington Cast to Replace Him as Gilderoy Lockhart

Brenton BlanchetMon, August 24, 2026 at 6:14 PM UTC

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Kit Harington; Nicholas HoultCredit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty -

Kit Harington will take over for Nicholas Hoult as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO Max’s Harry Potter reboot series

Harington previously voiced the character in Audible’s Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions in 2025

The Harry Potter TV series will premiere on Dec. 25

Kit Harington is joining the Harry Potter universe.

The Game of Thrones alum, 39, has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter series. Nicholas Hoult, who was announced in the role on Aug. 11, has dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts.

Harry Potter’s official Instagram account shared a statement after the casting change on Monday, Aug. 24. “Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to schedule,” the statement read on its Instagram Stories. “Kit Harington will be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart.”

Kit Harington; Kenneth Branagh as Professor Gilderoy LockhartCredit: Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros.

Hoult, 36, is currently set to reprise his Superman role of Lex Luthor in the upcoming sequel Man of Tomorrow, which is scheduled for release in July 2027. HBO Max previously confirmed his Potter casting in an Instagram post on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Per Deadline, Harington was “excited” to take over the role. Harington previously voiced the character in Audible’s Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions in 2025.

Lockhart is a main player in J.K. Rowling’s second Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the 2002 film version, Kenneth Branagh played the character.

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The growing Harry Potter cast includes John Lithgow as Professor Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy. Arabella Stanton, Alastair Stout and Dominic McLaughlin star as Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.

Season 1 of the TV series began production in July 2025 and will arrive on HBO Max this December.

In June 2024, HBO announced that the new series would be written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod will serve as an executive producer, and directed several episodes.

In recent years, Potter author Rowling has sparked controversyfor making anti-transgender comments and supporting others with transphobic views. She is involved in production of the upcoming series and is an executive producer. She has denied being transphobic, defending her views as pro “woman.”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres on HBO Max Dec. 25.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”