Kit Harington is set to join HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter television series, taking on the role of Gilderoy Lockhart, the celebrity wizard who becomes a Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor at Hogwarts.
Harington, best known for portraying Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, will replace Nicholas Hoult, who was initially cast as Lockhart but has left the project due to scheduling conflicts, according to HBO.
The actor has previously voiced Lockhart in an audio version of Harry Potter and said he was excited to take on the character in the television adaptation.
“I’m a huge Potter fan. I’ve got to be honest, he’s one of my favourite characters,” Harington said. He described the opportunity to play Lockhart as a dream and praised the character as a “wonderful creation.”
The HBO series is scheduled to premiere with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone this Christmas on HBO Max. The second season will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in J.K. Rowling’s bestselling series.
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Lockhart is a key character in The Chamber of Secrets. The vain wizard is known for writing books about his supposed heroic encounters with dangerous magical creatures and becomes Hogwarts’ new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
The character was previously portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the Harry Potter film adaptation. The new HBO series stars newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, with Alastair Stout playing Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton portraying Hermione Granger.
Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow has been cast as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, while Nick Frost will play the school’s gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.
Kit Harington could also reunite with director and producer Mark Mylod, who previously worked with him on Game of Thrones. Mylod is directing episodes of the new Harry Potter series and also serves as an executive producer alongside Rowling.
The television adaptation is expected to run for about 10 years, with producers planning multiple seasons based on each of Rowling’s seven books.
The series is being developed as a fresh adaptation of the books, following the success of the original eight-film franchise that brought the wizarding world to cinemas worldwide.
BBC
