Kit Harington cast in Harry Potter TV Series
Kit Harington has been cast in the second season of HBOʻs Harry Potter (2026) TV series.
The Harry Potter reboot is going through some changes before the first season even starts. With season 2 of the show already greenlit, additional cast and crew are being brought on before the show’s official start. Now, joining Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout in the showʻs sophomore season will be Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart.
Harington, who hasnʻt been attached to an HBO project since 2019, will replace Nicholas Hoult, who backed out of the role earlier this month due to scheduling conflicts. The casting was first announced on the showʻs Instagram page with the header reading: “Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change…”
Lockhart is Haryʻs Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his second year at Hogwarts, who is as vain as he is incompetent. He talks a big game about his many supposed skills and accomplishments, but Harry and Ron (Funnily enough, not Hermione) are quick to notice the stark difference between how he portrays himself and how he is portrayed in his books. He was initially played by Kenneth Charles Branagh in the original movies and is remembered fondly by fans for his comedic incompetence.
As a lifelong fan of the series, Harington was quick to accept the role when it was offered to him, calling the move a “no-brainer” before reminiscing to Variety about all the times he read and reread the series growing up. Many fans online have noted the sharp contrast to Harington’s previous role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones and this one. Snow was a stern, tragic character, while Lockheart was comedic and airheaded.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time Harington has played the overconfident wizard. He has voiced the character in Audible’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Though he has already played the role once, it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts to seeing him on the screen.
Gilderoy only appears in two books in the entirety of the Harry Potter series, and only appears in one movie. So, unlike Game of Thrones, Harington won’t be tied down to this series for years, but he still has plenty of time to shine in the role. However, the show premieres its first season this December and Gilderoy appears in the second book, so it will be some time before we see Harington and McLaughlin side by side signing autographs.
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