Good news for anyone disappointed by Nicholas Hoult’s decision to appear in HBO’s Harry Potter series: He’s not in it anymore. But this momentary relief comes with more disappointment: Kit Harrington, of Game Of Thrones (and, more recently, of Industry) fame has taken Hoult’s place. According to Deadline, Harrignton will step into the clueless shoes of beautiful idiot Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of Harry Potter, which we presume will cover the series’ second book, The Chamber Of Secrets.
Deadline reports that it was not backlash but “scheduling issues” that forced Hoult out of a role he announced just two weeks ago. Apparently, his schedule was tight with Superman commitments and something shifted within the past two weeks. HBO then reached out to Harrington, who had already voiced Lockhart in the Harry Potter audiobook series and was excited to reprise the role on screen.
Of course, the reason for the backlash is because this series is going to further line Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s pockets and she’s been keen to use her money to, essentially, block trans women from public life in the United Kingdom. (Yes, we bring this up with every Harry Potter story because it hasn’t stopped happening.) Rowling’s politics have become something that many associated with the series have already had to answer for; John Lithgow (who will play Dumbledore) gave some wishy-washy answers, while Bel Powley (who will play Petunia Dursley) said that she “strongly disagree[s]” with Rowling’s views, though she’ll presumably be in this series for a number of years. We look forward to whatever word salad Harrington serves up on the issue.
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