Kit Harington replaces Nicholas Hoult as Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter series

**Confidence:** Verified as reported (BBC; HBO statement on Instagram; Collider interview)

The Game of Thrones star steps into the role of the vain Defence Against the Dark Arts professor after Nicholas Hoult exits season two over scheduling conflicts.

Kit Harington will play Gilderoy Lockhart in HBO's Harry Potter TV series, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who has left the role due to scheduling issues, according to the BBC. HBO confirmed the change in a statement posted to Instagram: "Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to schedule: Kit Harington will be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart".

Hoult — known for X-Men, Superman and Mad Max: Fury Road — had been cast as Lockhart only earlier this month, as the BBC reported at the time, taking on the celebrity wizard made famous on film by Sir Kenneth Branagh. Lockhart arrives at Hogwarts in The Chamber of Secrets as the school's new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, having built his reputation as an author and self-promoting adventurer.

Harington, best known as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones and currently seen in the BBC and HBO drama Industry, is no stranger to the character: he previously voiced Lockhart in an audio version of Harry Potter. Speaking to Collider, he said: "I'm a huge Potter fan. I've got to be honest, he's one of my favourite characters. So, to be offered to play him is a real dream. I've had a taste of him [in the audiobook] and felt my way around him. He's just a wonderful creation".

Collider notes that season two, which adapts JK Rowling's second book, is already in production, giving Harington a live-action challenge he described as distinct from his audiobook turn.

The recast lands ahead of the series' debut: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is due to premiere this Christmas on HBO Max, according to the BBC. The adaptation stars newcomer Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, with Oscar-nominated John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Hoult is not the only high-profile change around the production's edges, but HBO has framed the swap as purely logistical. Season two will follow Harry's second year at Hogwarts, when Lockhart's carefully polished public image begins to crack — a part Collider suggests gives Harington plenty to work with beyond simply transplanting the character from the page.

**Sources:** BBC, instagram.com, collider.com