Kit Harington is stepping into the wizarding world, taking over the role of Gilderoy Lockhart for the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter series after original casting choice Nicholas Hoult had to bow out due to a scheduling conflict.
HBO confirmed the change to the BBC after Deadline first reported the news.
Best known for playing Jon Snow across eight seasons of Game of Thrones, Harington also currently appears in HBO and BBC’s financial drama Industry, making this his third project with the network and streamer.
The official Harry Potter Instagram account confirmed the casting shift directly: “Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to schedule: Kit Harington will be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart.”
Season two will adapt J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, following Harry’s second year at Hogwarts.
The series stars newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, with Oscar nominee John Lithgow as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Harington, an Emmy winner and lifelong fan of the books, isn’t entirely new to the role, he previously voiced Lockhart in Audible’s full-cast Harry Potter audio editions last year.
The casting could also reunite him with director and executive producer Mark Mylod, a fellow Game of Thrones alum now directing several episodes of the new series alongside Rowling.
