Nicholas Hoult joins Harry Potter TV show - see the cast so far

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August 12, 2026·1 min read·Updated 22 hours ago

Nicholas Hoult looking slightly off camera with dyed blond hair, white shirt and tie and black dinner jacket at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Los Angeles County Museum of ArtBBC News

Nicholas Hoult, known for his roles in X-Men, Superman and Mad Max: Fury Road, has been cast in the hotly anticipated Harry Potter TV series.

The English actor, 36, will play Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart - who was portrayed by Sir Kenneth Branagh in the films.

The TV adaptation of JK Rowling's best-selling books will reach screens this Christmas, although Hoult will not be seen until season two.

In the stories, Lockhart was a celebrity author of books such as Magical Me before joining Hogwarts as a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry's second year.

HBO announced the casting, external by quoting the title of Lockhart's autobiography and one of his famous lines: "Magical me indeed. Now, how many autographs would you like? Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in season two of the new HBO original Harry Potter series."

Reporting from BBC News contributed to this story.