Nicholas Hoult cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter season two

Casting announcement

Nicholas Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO's Harry Potter television series, adapting "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." The casting was first reported by Deadline on August 11 and confirmed by HBO on August 12. Hoult, a 36-year-old British actor, is known for roles as Hank McCoy (Beast) in the X-Men saga, Lex Luthor in James Gunn's 2025 Superman, and appearances in Mad Max: Fury Road, Nosferatu, and The Menu. He will reprise Lex Luthor in the sequel Man of Tomorrow, expected in 2027.

The role of Lockhart, the vain and egocentric Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who joins Hogwarts in Harry's second year, was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film directed by Chris Columbus. Hoult auditioned for the lead role of Harry Potter approximately 25 years ago, a part that ultimately went to Daniel Radcliffe.

Production timeline

Season 1, adapting "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," is set to premiere on HBO Max on December 25, 2026, consisting of eight episodes of approximately one hour each. The first season has completed production and is now in post-production. Season 2 filming is scheduled to begin in October, according to one source, with other articles specifying only "this fall." HBO greenlit the second season months before the first season's premiere. Casey Bloys, HBO's Chairman and CEO, explained in March that the goal is to avoid a long gap between seasons, though the series will not be annual because it is "too big and complex."

Cast assembled

The series features Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron. Adult cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Bel Powley has been cast as Petunia Dursley. Mark Mylod, who directed Hoult in the 2022 film The Menu, serves as executive producer and lead director of the series. J.K. Rowling is among the executive producers. Seven seasons are planned, with each season adapting one of the seven books.

Rowling controversy and audience anticipation

The production has drawn attention for the involvement of J.K. Rowling, who has been criticized for views on gender that detractors characterize as transphobic. Actress Bel Powley, cast as Petunia Dursley, addressed the tension between her involvement and Rowling's stance in an interview with the Telegraph.

I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling's views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance. But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and... I love magic and spookiness.

John Lithgow, who plays Dumbledore, spoke about the controversy with The New Yorker Radio Hour.

The reasons to do it were much, much stronger than the reasons to protest against what Rowling has done and said. I do disagree with much of it, much of it I think has been twisted and misrepresented, and she has doubled down on it at her own cost.

Despite the controversy, audience interest is high. A trailer released in March garnered 277 million organic views across all platforms within its first 48 hours, according to Warner Bros., making it the most-viewed trailer in HBO and HBO Max history, surpassing Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon in the same timeframe. Warner Bros. emphasized that the figure represented organic views, excluding paid social media or YouTube advertisements.