Actor Kit Harington will play Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO's Harry Potter series, replacing Nicholas Hoult due to scheduling conflicts.

HBO has confirmed that Kit Harington will join the cast of its upcoming Harry Potter television series as Gilderoy Lockhart. Harington replaces actor Nicholas Hoult, who withdrew from the role due to scheduling conflicts with other projects. The series, which plans to adapt each of J.K. Rowling's seven books over a decade, is set to begin its second season covering The Chamber of Secrets.

Casting and Production Details

Harington, known for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, previously voiced the character of Lockhart for Audible's audio editions of the series. The production of the second season will reunite him with director and executive producer Mark Mylod, with whom he worked on Game of Thrones. J.K. Rowling also serves as an executive producer on the project. The series features Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Other cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Background on the Role

Gilderoy Lockhart is a central character in the second book, The Chamber of Secrets, serving as the professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts. The character is depicted as a vain wizard who has authored multiple books regarding his alleged encounters with dark creatures. Kenneth Branagh previously portrayed the character in the Warner Bros. film adaptations.