Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has joined HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series, taking on the role of Gilderoy Lockhart. The actor replaces Nicholas Hoult, who exited the project because of a scheduling conflict ahead of the show’s second season.
HBO confirmed the casting change, with the official Harry Potter account announcing that Harington would step into the role before the series returns for Harry Potter’s second year at Hogwarts. Season 2 will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where Lockhart becomes a major character.
Harington is widely known for playing Jon Snow in HBO’s Game of Thrones. He has also appeared in the drama Industry. The Harry Potter role marks another major collaboration between the actor and HBO.
The first season, based on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is expected to premiere on HBO Max during Christmas 2026. The series will star Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Jon Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, while Nick Frost has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid.
Interestingly, Harington has previously voiced Gilderoy Lockhart in Audible’s full-cast Harry Potter audio editions. The character was played by Kenneth Branagh in the original Warner Bros film series.
The new HBO adaptation is expected to span multiple seasons and cover all seven Harry Potter books. With Kit Harington joining as Lockhart, Season 2 has received one of its biggest casting updates before production begins.
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