Unexpected changes have taken place in the casting for the second season of HBO's 'Harry Potter' series. According to reports by WAVE (RBC-Ukraine), the role of Gilderoy Lockhart — the charismatic and self-obsessed professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts — has been awarded to Kit Harington, the star of 'Game of Thrones'. This decision came as a surprise to fans of the franchise, as only about two weeks earlier another actor, Nicholas Holt, had been officially confirmed for the same position.
The Replacement in the Role of Lockhart
According to the publication, Holt left the project due to a scheduling conflict, after which the role passed to Harington. Notably, the reshuffle occurred shortly after the first major casting announcement: back in early August 2026, the outlet Deadline reported that it was Nicholas Holt who would play Lockhart in the second season. Thus, only a short time elapsed between the official confirmation and the replacement, underscoring the instability of the casting at the early stage of the season's preparation.
Harington's Connection to the Character
For Kit Harington, the image of Gilderoy Lockhart is not entirely new: he had previously voiced the character in the full-cast audio version of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'. In J.K. Rowling's books, Lockhart appears in the second volume, where he becomes the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and quickly draws the students' attention with his self-assurance, love of fame, and tales of his own 'heroic' exploits. In the 2002 film adaptation 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', the character was played by Kenneth Branagh.
Contradictory Data
Here it is important to honestly address the discrepancy between publications. A number of Russian outlets (news.mail.ru, championat.com, playground.ru) still present the news in the wording that Nicholas Holt will play the professor in the second season, with some headlines even rendering the character's name incorrectly ('Zlatopust Lokons' instead of 'Gilderoy Lockhart'). This reflects an earlier stage of casting, recorded in early August, and does not necessarily mean that these materials are current as of now. At the same time, WAVE's latest summary states that Holt has already left the project and the role has been handed to Harington. Thus, the difference between the versions is primarily chronological in nature: some sources record Holt's initial confirmation, while others record the subsequent replacement. Until a second independent confirmation emerges, the replacement remains a fact resting on a single outlet.
Context: the Second Season and the Start of Filming
The second season of the new 'Harry Potter' series will be based on the book 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', and filming, according to available reports, is set to begin in the fall of 2026. For Harington himself, the new role will be yet another major project in partnership with HBO after 'Game of Thrones', in which he portrayed the character of Jon Snow over eight seasons. The final casting and the exact start dates for filming may be refined as production preparations progress.
