Nicholas Hoult Cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter Season 2
Nicholas Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO's Harry Potter television series, according to reporting from both Variety and Deadline published on 11 August 2026.
The character — a famously vain, golden-haired Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who turns out to be far less heroic than his own books claim — is central to the plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the novel that Season 2 will adapt. Kenneth Branagh played the role in the 2002 film of the same name. HBO renewed the series for a second season ahead of its first-season premiere, and filming on Season 2 is due to begin this autumn. (Variety)
The first season has not yet aired. It debuts on 25 December on HBO and HBO Max, adapting Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Dominic McLaughlin leads the cast as Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The adult cast includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid. (Variety)
Behind the scenes, the second season gains a new co-showrunner. Jon Brown, a writer on Season 1, has been promoted to run the series alongside Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod directs and executive produces with Gardiner; J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman also serve as executive producers. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. (Variety)
For Hoult, the role adds another major franchise to a career already spanning several. He played Dr. Hank McCoy, also known as Beast, across multiple X-Men films. He currently plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn's DC Studios films, originating the role in Superman (2025) and reprising it in the sequel Man of Tomorrow (2027). His recent work includes Juror #2 and Nosferatu, and he earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing Peter III in The Great. He will next appear in How to Rob a Bank, an Amazon MGM Studios film opening in November. (Deadline)
Hoult's casting follows a pattern of antagonists and morally complicated characters — Tyler in The Menu, Bob Mathews in The Order, and the hapless, scheming Peter III among them. Lockhart, a charmer whose deceptions unravel, fits that lane comfortably. He is represented by 42, UTA, and Sloane Offer. (Deadline)
HBO first announced its plan to adapt the Harry Potter novels as a television series in April 2023. (TV Insider)
