Washington: Kit Harington is set to join HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ series in Season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart, replacing Nicholas Hoult in the role, HBO Max has confirmed on its official social media handle.
Season 2 of Harry Potter was greenlit in May and is scheduled to begin filming this fall. The production is moving ahead before the Christmas premiere of Season 1, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Available to take on the part, the actor also had a connection to the character; he previously voiced Gilderoy Lockhart in ‘Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions’, which were released late last year. In a featurette released by Audible around the audio editions, Harington spoke about his long-standing affection for JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books.
“I read it, and like so many generations, I was entranced, and then I was a huge fan all through my teenage years,” he said. Harington was subsequently approached by HBO. The actor recalled that he was the same age as Harry when the first novel was published.
When filming Lockhart’s scenes shifted within the Season 2 production schedule, accommodating those commitments was no longer feasible, leading to the Superman actor’s departure from the role. The character was played by Kenneth Branagh in the second Harry Potter film. A vain, boastful and fame-obsessed wizard, Lockhart is known for his expertise in Memory Charms and is recruited by Albus Dumbledore as Hogwarts’ Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
