Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Nicholas Hoult has joined the cast of HBO’s Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart for the show’s second season. The actor will portray the famous wizard and new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Lockhart is introduced in the second Harry Potter story as a celebrated wizard who has gained fame by publishing books about his supposed heroic adventures. Despite his public image and confidence, his abilities as a teacher quickly prove questionable.
Hoult takes over a role previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation of Chamber of Secrets. His casting adds another established actor to HBO’s new version of the Harry Potter story.
The second season has already received a renewal and is expected to begin filming this fall. The first season is scheduled to premiere on Dec. 25 on HBO and HBO Max and will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Hoult is already familiar with major film franchises. He previously portrayed Beast in several X-Men movies and currently plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s DC films. He first appeared as Luthor in Superman in 2025 and is expected to return in Man of Tomorrow in 2027.
His other notable credits include Mad Max: Fury Road, Nosferatu, Juror #2, The Menu and Renfield. On television, he starred in The Great, earning an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations, and also appeared as Lex Luthor in the second season of Peacemaker.
The new Harry Potter cast is led by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. John Lithgow plays Dumbledore, Janet McTeer portrays Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu is Snape and Nick Frost plays Hagrid.
Jon Brown, who worked as a writer on the first season, has been promoted to co-showrunner for Season 2 alongside series developer and showrunner Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod is also returning as an executive producer and director.
