Nicholas Hoult to Play Gilderoy Lockhart in ‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Season 2
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- Nicholas Hoult is set to play Gilderoy Lockhart, the arrogant, self-promoting Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, in HBO's Harry Potter Season 2, which adapts Chamber of Secrets.
- The series debuts Dec. 25 on HBO and HBO Max with Season 1 covering Philosopher's Stone; Season 2 filming is due to begin this fall.
- Kenneth Branagh previously played Lockhart in the 2002 Chamber of Secrets film, giving Hoult a notable predecessor in the role.
- Hoult's franchise run continues with Lockhart following his turn as Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Superman (2025) and the upcoming Man of Tomorrow (2027), plus Beast across multiple X-Men films.
- Season 2's principal cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
- Jon Brown has been promoted from Season 1 writer to co-showrunner of Season 2 alongside Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod directing and J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman executive producing for Warner Bros. Television.
Why it matters: This is the first major Season 2 casting reveal for HBO's Harry Potter ahead of the Dec. 25 Season 1 debut, and it deliberately pairs the smirking, self-aggrandizing Lockhart with an actor whose 2025 Superman turn as Lex Luthor shows he can play charming-but-superficial authority figures — the same trait that defines Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets.
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