Plot Twist: Kit Harington Joins the Harry Potter Cast

• Kit Harington's role in Harry Potter.
• Nicholas Hoult's departure.
• His passion for J.K. Rowling's franchise.

A face particularly familiar to fans of major fantasy productions is about to make his debut in the Harry Potter universe.

After playing Jon Snow for eight seasons of Game of Thrones, Kit Harington has reportedly been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of the new HBO TV series.

This is a significant change, as the role was originally intended for Nicholas Hoult. The Superman actor ultimately had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. HBO had, however, attempted to work around two other productions in which Hoult was already committed. When the scenes featuring Lockhart had to be rescheduled in the Season 2 shooting schedule, it reportedly became impossible to reconcile his various professional commitments. Hoult was then reportedly released from his contract.

The network reportedly turned to Harington, who was not only available but also enthusiastic about joining this new adaptation of the famous saga.

After Westeros, the British actor is now set to dive into another extremely popular fantasy universe, this time taking on the role of the eccentric and pretentious professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

On Familiar Ground

The character of Gilderoy Lockhart isn't entirely new to Kit Harington. Late last year, the Game of Thrones star had already lent his voice to the character in the new Harry Potter audio adaptation produced by Audible.

The actor thus has some prior experience with this wizard, who plays a significant role in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second installment of the series. Lockhart arrives at Hogwarts as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, preceded by his reputation as a famous wizard who has accomplished numerous feats. Behind his excessive self-confidence and impressive talent for self-promotion, however, lies a far less glorious reality…

Harington will thus succeed Kenneth Branagh, who delivered a memorable performance as the eccentric professor in the 2002 film Chamber of Secrets.

A Big Harry Potter Fan

Kit Harington has never hidden his deep attachment to the Harry Potter universe. In an interview with Variety last December about Audible's audiobooks, the actor described himself as a true fan of the series.

He recounted discovering and loving J.K. Rowling's novels as a child. That fascination has never really faded, as Harington has since reread the various books several times over the years.

“I said yes without hesitation, simply because I love this character. When it comes to cameos in a series, there's hardly anything more entertaining and fun for an actor to play than Gilderoy Lockhart. It was a no-brainer,” he says without hesitation.

Now we'll have to wait and see what he brings to this wizard, who is as charismatic as he is pretentious.

One thing is certain: after Kenneth Branagh, the bar is set particularly high, but Harington has all the experience needed to bring his own take on Lockhart to life.