Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, Deadline reports. Lockhart is the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film. HBO confirmed the casting on Instagram.
The part extends a busy stretch of villainy for Hoult: he plays Lex Luthor in Superman, a role he reprises in Man of Tomorrow, and recently played the chef’s nightmare in The Menu and the white-supremacist leader Bob Mathews in The Order. Lockhart is a softer target: a fraud who has convinced himself otherwise. Variety confirmed the news from its own sources.
Who is Gilderoy Lockhart?
A vain, fame-obsessed wizard who built a career on other people’s adventures. Lockhart wrote books about dark creatures he never fought, wipes the memories of the witches and wizards who actually did, and has won Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award five times. Dumbledore hires him to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, which goes about as well as expected.
Season 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, premieres on HBO on 25 December and streams exclusively on HBO Max. Season 2 was renewed in May, before the first season had aired, and starts filming this autumn with Jon Brown promoted to co-showrunner alongside Francesca Gardiner. Dominic McLaughlin leads as Harry, with Alastair Stout as Ron, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid and Janet McTeer as McGonagall. The series previously added Peter Serafinowicz as Peeves, and HBO has called the whole project an investment it normally wouldn’t make.
In the UAE, HBO shows stream on OSN+, though no local premiere date for the series has been announced.
When does Harry Potter Season 2 come out?
HBO has not announced a release date for season 2 yet. Filming begins in autumn 2026, and season 1 — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — premieres on 25 December 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.
How many seasons will HBO’s Harry Potter series have?
Seven, one for each book in the series. HBO has committed to the full run, a production the network has described as spanning a decade.
What else has Nicholas Hoult been in?
He plays Lex Luthor in Superman and will reprise the role in Man of Tomorrow. Recent credits include The Menu, Nosferatu, Juror #2 and The Order, plus the Hulu series The Great and his breakout role in Skins.
