The Game of Thrones actor has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in Season 2 of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series. Harington replaces Nicholas Hoult, who was announced for the role earlier in August but has since left the production because of scheduling conflicts.
HBO confirmed the change on August 24, stating that Harington will take over the role before the series begins Harry Potter’s second year at Hogwarts. Lockhart enters the story in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Harington already has some experience with the character. He voiced Gilderoy Lockhart in Audible’s full cast adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2025. He will now get the chance to play Lockhart on screen.
Lockhart is a famous wizard and successful author who arrives at Hogwarts with a long list of supposed heroic accomplishments. Behind the fame, however, he is far less capable than his reputation suggests. Kenneth Branagh previously played the character in the 2002 film adaptation of Chamber of Secrets.
Hoult had only been attached to the HBO role for a short time before the casting change. Reports state that changes to the production schedule created conflicts with his existing work, leaving HBO to find another actor for Lockhart.
Harington is best known for playing Jon Snow throughout all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. His return to HBO adds another familiar face from the network’s past to one of its biggest upcoming productions.
The Harry Potter television series begins with an adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with the first season scheduled to premiere on December 25, 2026. Season 2 will move into Chamber of Secrets, where Harington’s Lockhart will become part of Harry’s second year at Hogwarts.
