Kit Harington joins Harry Potter season 2 in surprise Gilderoy Lockhart recasting

Kit Harington is joining HBO’s Harry Potter series for Season 2, taking over the role of Gilderoy Lockhart from Nicholas Hoult.

Harington, best known for playing Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, will portray the famous Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in the upcoming season. Hoult was originally cast as Lockhart but reportedly exited the series after scheduling conflicts with his other projects made it impossible to accommodate changes to the production schedule.

HBO subsequently approached Harington, who was available and enthusiastic about joining the fantasy franchise. The casting marks a unique recasting because Harington has already portrayed Gilderoy Lockhart in another Harry Potter project. The actor previously voiced the character for the Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, released last year.

Lockhart is a major character in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in J.K. Rowling’s series. The vain and fame-obsessed wizard becomes Hogwarts’ Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and is known for claiming credit for defeating dangerous magical creatures. Kenneth Branagh previously played Lockhart in the 2002 film adaptation.

Harington has previously spoken about his connection to the Harry Potter books, recalling that he grew up reading the series and was a fan throughout his teenage years.

Harry Potter Season 2 is scheduled to begin filming this fall, following the launch of Season 1, which is expected to premiere around Christmas. The series will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.

Dominic McLaughlin stars as Harry Potter, with Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Returning cast members include Nick Frost, John Lithgow, Paapa Essiedu and Janet McTeer.