Kit Harington is heading to Hogwarts, but he won’t be playing a character Game of Thrones fans might expect. The actor has joined HBO’s Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart for Season 2, taking over the role after Nicholas Hoult’s departure.
The casting comes with a fun connection that longtime Harry Potter fans may appreciate. Harington has already played Lockhart once, albeit without appearing on screen. He previously voiced the famously self-obsessed wizard for Audible’s full-cast Harry Potter audiobooks.
Harington will now bring the character to life in Season 2, which adapts Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Hoult’s exit was reportedly caused by scheduling conflicts with other projects, clearing the way for Harington to take over the role.
The new Lockhart also gives Harington a chance to play one of Hogwarts’ most memorable teachers, a character previously portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 movie adaptation.
Kit Harington Has Already Played Gilderoy Lockhart
Harington’s casting is more than a straightforward replacement because he is already familiar with Gilderoy Lockhart. The actor voiced the character in Audible’s Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, which were released last year.
The Game of Thrones star has also been open about his affection for the wizarding world. Speaking to Variety about the audiobook project in December, Harington described himself as a lifelong Harry Potter fan and said he had reread J.K. Rowling’s books several times.
His decision to voice Lockhart was an easy one because of how entertaining he found the character.
“It was a really simple yes, because I love the character,” Harington said. “As far as cameos in a series go, you don’t get much more entertaining and fun to do as an actor than Gilderoy Lockhart. It was a no-brainer.”
Lockhart becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in Chamber of Secrets, arriving at Hogwarts with an enormous reputation and an even bigger ego. He is famous for supposedly defeating dangerous creatures and solving extraordinary problems, although Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly discover that his stories don’t quite match reality.
The HBO series will introduce Harington’s version of the character after Season 1, which is set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day. Season 2 is scheduled to begin filming this fall.
Harington replaces Hoult, who had previously been announced for the role. According to Deadline, Hoult’s departure was related to scheduling conflicts with two other projects. The actor is already committed to DC Studios’ Superman franchise as Lex Luthor and is expected to return for Man of Tomorrow.
The rest of the new Harry Potter cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. John Lithgow will play Dumbledore, with Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Jon Brown, who worked as a writer on Season 1, has also been promoted to co-showrunner for the second season alongside series developer and current showrunner Francesca Gardiner.
Harington’s casting gives the HBO adaptation a particularly unusual piece of continuity. He has already lent his voice to Lockhart, and he will now get the opportunity to build a completely different version of the character on screen.