HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” series has made a sudden casting change, with English actor Kit Harington, best known for playing Jon Snow in “Game of Thrones,” taking over the role of Gilderoy Lockhart from fellow English actor Nicholas Hoult.
Hoult, known for films including “X-Men,” “The Menu” and “Superman,” had recently joined the project to play the vain and fame-hungry Hogwarts professor.
However, scheduling conflicts reportedly forced him to leave the production.
The role of Lockhart became famous when English actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh played the character in the 2002 film “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
A Sudden Casting Change
The change comes before audiences have even seen the first season of HBO’s ambitious television adaptation.
Harington now steps in to play Lockhart in the show’s second season, which will adapt “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
The character arrives at Hogwarts as its new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, armed with bestselling books, a huge ego and a carefully crafted celebrity image. However, his glamorous reputation hides a very different reality.
From Westeros to Hogwarts
Harington already has some experience with the character. The English actor previously voiced Lockhart in a recent full-cast “Harry Potter” audiobook production.
Now, he will bring the flamboyant wizard to the screen.
For Harington, the role marks a sharp departure from Jon Snow, the serious and battle-hardened character that made him a global star in “Game of Thrones.”
Instead of battling White Walkers in Westeros, he will head to Hogwarts to play one of the wizarding world’s most memorable and self-obsessed characters.