Kit Harington took Harry Potter despite the backlash — the reason is a nightly habit at home
Kit Harington reckons there was one overriding reason to join HBO's Harry Potter despite the backlash — and it's not the obvious one.
Here we are again, talking about Harry Potter—this time not about a new theme park ride or a reprint with gold-edged pages, but HBO's full-scale reboot, which has already managed to spark a bit of a storm. The latest? Kit Harington's casting and how he's decided to walk straight into the middle of the controversy. Let me walk you through it, because honestly, it's a bit of a saga.
Kit Harington Faces the Fandom
If you haven't heard, Kit Harington–yes, Jon Snow himself—is hopping aboard the Hogwarts Express for HBO's not-at-all-risk-free television adaptation. In a chat with TODAY's Craig Melvin, Harington was asked directly about joining a project that's been trending for less-than-magical reasons (Rowling's well-publicised views on transgender people, for one, which I don't need to rehash here). But it sounds like the drama hasn't put Harington off in the slightest. He put it like this on air:
“I’ve been a lifelong Harry Potter fan. I was a fan when I was a kid, and then I rediscovered it as an adult, listening to it every night. I listen to it every single night, and it helps me go to sleep, and I know other people do that as well, so they’re really important books to me.”
Not stopping there, he admitted the series idea roped him in from the get-go. Harington reckons, as a self-professed 'book nerd', that the HBO version could finally be the deep-dive the novels deserve. Here's how he described it:
“When I knew this was happening as a series, I thought it was the best idea. I love the films, but with this, they can really explore the books at their fullest, and for a book nerd like me, that was a really great idea. So it was one that I had eyes on, I really wanted to be in it, and the part I’m playing is just the best.”
For the die-hard Potterheads keeping score, Harington's not swooping in to play a mainstay professor or some brand new villain—they've handed him Gilderoy Lockhart. You'll remember the role from when Kenneth Branagh hammed it up in the original films as the "celebrity" Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Don't expect a carbon copy though; Harington's clearly buzzing to put his spin on everyone's favourite fraudster.
Second Year at Hogwarts: Who's In, Who's Out
Harington pops up in Season 2, which takes on "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"—the one with the basilisk, the diaries, and the worst plumbing in wizarding Britain. Alongside his flashy Lockhart, there are newcomers galore:
- Rafe Spall is stepping into Arthur Weasley's slightly barmy shoes
- Jasper Ambrose will try and keep his camera steady as Colin Creevey
- Molly Hewitt-Richards haunts the loos as Moaning Myrtle
- Bonnie Hill is taking over as Ginny Weasley (replacing Gracie Cochrane from season one)
- The main trio is still locked in: Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Alastair Stout (Ron), and Arabella Stanton (Hermione)
Notably, all this casting news comes before season one has even hit our screens. They've gone full steam ahead and announced that Harry Potter Season 1 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on 25 December 2026—a proper Christmas binge if ever there was one.
Harry Potter season one gets its big debut on Christmas Day, 2026.
HBO's hoping this relaunch is less cursed than one of Lockhart's memory charms, controversy and all.