Kit Harington Replaces Nicholas Hoult as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter

The Gilderoy Lockhart casting news barely had time to settle before it changed. Deadline reports that Kit Harington will now play the vain, fraudulent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in Season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter, replacing Nicholas Hoult, whose own casting in the role was announced just 13 days earlier, on August 11.

The reported reason for the change is scheduling. Variety says Hoult exited the production because of scheduling conflicts, while Deadline likewise reports that Harington is taking over the role after Hoult’s departure. No alternative creative explanation has been confirmed, so the recast is best treated as a straightforward scheduling change rather than something more dramatic.

Harington isn’t coming to the role cold. He voiced Gilderoy Lockhart in Audible’s full-cast Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets audiobook, released late last year, and has talked about how easy a decision that was: “It was a really simple yes, because I love the character. As far as cameos in a series go, you don’t get much more entertaining and fun to do as an actor than Gilderoy Lockhart. It was a no-brainer.” That existing familiarity with the character is a big part of why HBO turned to him specifically once Hoult stepped away.

The casting also brings Harington back into HBO’s orbit after his defining run as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones and his more recent role as Henry Muck in Industry. Kenneth Branagh originated Lockhart on screen in the 2002 film adaptation; Harington’s version will be the character’s first live-action outing since.

This is actually the second recast the show has made ahead of Season 2, following Gracie Cochrane’s exit as Ginny Weasley back in May, with no replacement for that role announced yet. Season 2 adapts Chamber of Secrets and begins filming this fall, overlapping with the promotional run for Season 1, which premieres December 25 on HBO and HBO Max. The returning young cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron, alongside adult cast members John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, and Warwick Davis.