HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter reboot has yet to premiere its first season, but details about the second season are already emerging, with Nicholas Hoult reportedly set to join the cast as Gilderoy Lockhart.
According to Deadline, the 36-year-old actor will portray the charismatic but deeply flawed Hogwarts professor in the second season of the television adaptation. The character appears prominently in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets and was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation.
Lockhart is introduced as Hogwarts’ Defence Against The Dark Arts professor, presenting himself as a celebrated wizard known for his supposed heroic achievements. However, fans of the books will know that much of his reputation is built on taking credit for the accomplishments of other witches and wizards after using memory charms to erase their recollections.
The second season of HBO’s Harry Potter series was officially approved in May and is reportedly scheduled to begin production in the autumn, ahead of the first season’s Christmas premiere. The early renewal suggests HBO is already moving quickly to develop the long-running adaptation.
Hoult is no stranger to playing morally questionable characters. Most recently, he portrayed Lex Luthor in the 2025 Superman film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The British actor first gained widespread attention through the television series Skins before going on to star in Hulu’s The Great, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance.
News of Hoult’s reported casting comes after Rowling, who serves as an executive producer on the series, shared her reaction to the upcoming adaptation in June. She said she had watched the first two episodes and described them as “so, so, so good”.
The new series will feature a younger cast taking over the iconic roles made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in the original film franchise.
Eleven-year-old Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as Harry Potter, the role previously portrayed by Radcliffe. Speaking to the BBC after landing the part, McLaughlin said he had been a huge Harry Potter fan growing up and described playing the character as a dream role.
Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley, originally portrayed by Grint, while Arabella Stanton has been cast as Hermione Granger, the character made famous by Watson.
With the first season still awaiting its debut, the addition of Hoult to the second season has already given Harry Potter fans another reason to look forward to HBO’s new take on the wizarding world.
