Nicholas Hoult reported to join Harry Potter TV series as iconic villain

Hogwarts’ biggest fraud is back

Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart in the show’s second season, taking over the character previously portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Lockhart is introduced as Hogwarts’ new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and initially appears to be a celebrated wizard, thanks to the many heroic adventures he claims to have experienced and written about. However, his confidence quickly proves to be far greater than his actual abilities, with his arrogance and vanity becoming impossible to ignore.

Your Christmas binge is sorted

The series is scheduled to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on 25 December, with the opening season covering the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. 

A second season has already been confirmed and will move on to The Chamber of Secrets, with filming expected to begin this autumn.

Dominic McLaughlin will lead the new series as Harry Potter, alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

The wider cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.