Nicholas Hoult to play Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO Max’s Harry Potter series

British actor Nicholas Hoult has officially joined the cast of the Harry Potter series from the streaming service HBO Max. He has been cast as the vain Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the show’s second season.

Hoult’s casting marks an ironic return to the franchise’s history: over 20 years ago, the actor auditioned for the role of Harry Potter himself for the film The Sorcerer’s Stone, but lost the role to Daniel Radcliffe at the time. Furthermore, the new series is directed and executive produced by Mark Mylod, with whom Hoult previously worked on the thriller The Menu.

Season one premiere and production of the sequel

The first season of the show, consisting of 8 episodes and adapting the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, will be released on the HBO Max platform on December 25, 2026.

Filming for the second season (The Chamber of Secrets), which will feature the debut of Nicholas Hoult’s character, begins in the fall of 2026. John Brown, who worked on the series Succession, will share the showrunner duties for the second season with Francesca Gardiner.

Adult cast

While the central trio of characters will be played by newcomers (Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton), the adult cast of Hogwarts professors and key characters is being filled by experienced actors:

• Albus Dumbledore: John Lithgow
• Minerva McGonagall: Janet McTeer
• Severus Snape: Paapa Essiedu
• Rubeus Hagrid: Nick Frost
• Lucius Malfoy: Johnny Flynn