Speculation about who will be playing Lord Voldemort in HBO‘s Harry Potter reboot has been mounting, fueled by reports that the role has been cast but is being kept under wraps until the show’s 2027 premiere. One name that has frequently been brought up in conversation is Cillian Murphy, the acclaimed actor who won his first Oscar for playing the father of the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s big-budget biopic Oppenheimer. Murphy is not only a popular choice with fans, but also original Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes, who said he was “all in favor” of him taking over as the infamous villain – but is he up for it?
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Murphy was asked whether there was any truth to the rumors that he would be unmasked as Harry Potter’s adversary in the much buzzed-about adaptation. Murphy replied, “No, my kids show me it occasionally, but no, I don’t know anything about that. I mean, also, it’s just really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does. The man is an absolute acting legend. So, good luck to whoever is going to fill those shoes.” He also quipped that he is “very attached” to his nose.
Fiennes memorably portrayed the Boy Wizard’s noseless nemesis in five of the eight Harry Potter films from 2005 and 2011, but he is not expected to reprise his role in the upcoming series adaptation. He has, however, given Murphy his blessing to step into the Dark Lord’s cloak, and he isn’t the only one. The Peaky Blinders star received another high-profile endorsement from Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter movies, who publicly approved of him playing Voldemort in the new take on the magical franchise.
Who Else Could Play Voldemort in HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series?
While Murphy has dispelled the rumors of his involvement in the Harry Potter series, “He Who Must Not Be Named” is not likely to be named before HBO is ready to reveal the casting news. A report in July suggested that an actor had signed on to play Voldemort, and that the character might make their first on-screen appearance in the TV adaptation earlier than fans would expect. There are no immediate plans to announce who is playing the iconic antagonist, and it could even be kept secret until the first season airs in 2027.
Other popular actors that have been linked to the role of Voldemort in the Harry Potter reboot are Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Paul Bettany (WandaVision), Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), and Mark Strong (The King’s Man), though several more names have also circulated online. Whoever ends up embodying the wizarding world’s most notorious villain will likely find that it’s no small undertaking, especially after Fiennes, a legendary star of the stage and screen, who made the role his own and delivered many memorable moments during his tenure in the long-running film series.
While Voldemort’s actor remains a mystery, HBO has announced a number of major cast members for the small screen version of J.K. Rowling’s books, including Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley (and the rest of the Weasley family), as well as various other students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with Lox Pratt playing scathing Slytherin leader Draco Malfoy, alongside key members of the faculty, such as John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Luke Thallon as quietly quivering Quirinus Quirrell – another role that Murphy was linked to at one point.
