Nicholas Hoult Just Got Cast In 'Harry Potter' Season 2 And We Are OBSESSED With This Choice 🪄

Okay, stop EVERYTHING because the Harry Potter HBO series just made a casting announcement that has us absolutely losing it. 💫

Nicholas Hoult is joining Season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart — yes, THAT Gilderoy Lockhart, the vain, fame-obsessed wizard who's basically the wizarding world's biggest catfish. And honestly? We are SO here for this.

The Tea ☕

• Nicholas Hoult (currently playing Lex Luthor in Superman) has been cast as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter Season 2
• The role was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 Chamber of Secrets film
• Season 2 will begin filming this fall, ahead of the Season 1 Christmas premiere on HBO and HBO Max

From Lex Luthor to Lockhart — This Man Loves Playing A Villain

According to Deadline, Hoult "is still in his villain era" — and they're not wrong. The British actor has been absolutely KILLING IT playing antagonists lately, from Lex Luthor in Superman to Bob Mathews in The Order to Peter III in The Great.

But Gilderoy Lockhart? That's a whole different vibe.

For anyone who needs a refresher (no judgment), Lockhart is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts in Chamber of Secrets. He's basically famous for being famous — a wizard who wrote a bunch of books about his supposed heroic deeds, won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award FIVE times, and is so obsessed with himself that he makes the Kardashians look humble.

Plot twist: He's a total fraud. He basically stole other wizards' stories, wiped their memories with Memory Charms, and took all the credit. The audacity! 😤

Kenneth Branagh Who?

Variety reports that Hoult is taking on a role that Kenneth Branagh played in the 2002 movie — and while Branagh was iconic, we're ready to see what Hoult brings to the character.

The Superman star has serious range. He got Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the ridiculous Emperor Peter III in Hulu's The Great, proving he can absolutely nail comedic vanity. This casting is actually genius.

What We Know About Season 2

Season 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premieres on December 25 on HBO and HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show was already renewed for Season 2 back in May, and filming starts this fall.

The core cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron. And can we talk about this supporting cast? John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid. This is STACKED.

Francesca Gardiner is the showrunner, with Succession writer Jon Brown joining as co-showrunner for Season 2. And yes, J.K. Rowling is executive producing.

And Then It Got Better

Hoult isn't just doing Harry Potter — he's got a PACKED schedule. He's reprising his Lex Luthor role in Man of Tomorrow in 2027, and he's got Amazon MGM's How to Rob a Bank coming in November.

The man is literally everywhere, and we're not complaining. From Mad Max: Fury Road to Nosferatu to The Menu to the X-Men franchise, Hoult has proven he can do literally anything.

But playing a wizard who's basically Instagram personified? That might be his greatest challenge yet. And we cannot WAIT to see it.

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So here's the real question: Is Nicholas Hoult going to out-Lockhart Kenneth Branagh, or are we about to witness the most chaotic Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher casting of all time? Sound off below! 👇

Sources:

• Deadline
• Variety
• The Hollywood Reporter