Nicholas Hoult Is Out of Harry Potter Season 2, and Kit Harington Is Taking Over His Role

Hogwarts just got a very unexpected new professor. Kit Harington is officially joining HBO’s Harry Potter Season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who has exited the series due to scheduling conflicts. 

And yes, we are talking about Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame stepping into the shoes of one of the most hilariously self-obsessed characters in the entire Harry Potter story. HBO’s television adaptation has not even premiered its first season yet, but Season 2 is already making headlines. The second season will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which means Lockhart will become one of the major new additions to the Hogwarts story.

Hoult was only announced for the role earlier this month, making his departure particularly surprising. According to reports, scheduling conflicts forced the actor to step away from the production. Hoult also has other major projects on his plate, including his return as Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

Enter Kit Harington. The casting is a pretty fascinating choice because Harington is coming off years of playing characters who are about as far removed from Lockhart as possible. Fans know him best as the brooding and battle-tested Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, while Lockhart is basically a walking ego with excellent hair and absolutely no shortage of confidence.

Lockhart arrives at Hogwarts claiming to be a legendary wizard with an impressive list of heroic accomplishments. There is, naturally, one tiny problem: most of those accomplishments aren't actually his.

Kenneth Branagh famously brought the character to life in the original Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie, but Harington now gets the opportunity to put his own spin on the character for HBO's long-form adaptation.

And here's the wildest part of this whole casting switch: Harington has already played Gilderoy Lockhart.

Before joining the HBO series, the actor voiced Lockhart in the full-cast audiobook adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. That means Harington isn't walking into the role completely cold. He has already spent time bringing the character to life, just without having to put on the wizarding robes. Now he's getting the live-action version.

Honestly, that makes this recasting feel almost suspiciously perfect. Harington also already has a long relationship with HBO thanks to Game of Thrones and his role on Industry, so the move keeps another familiar face within the HBO family. For fans who were excited to see Hoult's take on Lockhart, the change will obviously be disappointing. Hoult has proven he can play charming, complicated and occasionally ridiculous characters, so his version of the professor could have been a lot of fun.

But if HBO had to make a last-minute change, Kit Harington is certainly not a bad replacement. In fact, watching Jon Snow's actor transform into the flamboyant, narcissistic Hogwarts professor could be one of the most entertaining casting choices of the new series. The first season of HBO's Harry Potter is still heading to screens before we get to see Harington's Lockhart. But now there's another reason to have Season 2 on the radar. Because apparently, winter isn't the only thing coming to Hogwarts. Gilderoy Lockhart is too.