Nicholas Hoult is trading one larger-than-life role for another. Fresh off his turn as the villain in Superman, the actor has landed a major role in the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter television adaptation. Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart, the vain and self-promoting wizard who famously took on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a role brought to the big screen by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film.

The second season received the green light back in May and is set to begin production this autumn, even before the first season (subtitled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) has made its debut. That premiere is planned for the Christmas season, with the show airing on HBO and streaming exclusively on HBO Max.

A Growing Ensemble

The series’ young leads are already in place: Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. They’re joined by a strong supporting cast, including Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.

Hoult’s Lockhart will bring a very different energy to Hogwarts. Described as a serial self-promoter with a gift for charming (and misleading) his admirers, the character is best known for his supposed adventures battling dark creatures, chronicled in a string of bestselling books, and for the Memory Charm expertise that eventually catches up with him. He’s also, notably, a five-time recipient of Witch Weekly‘s award for Most Charming Smile.

Behind the Scenes

The first season is led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, who also serves as writer and executive producer, while Mark Mylod is directing multiple episodes as executive producer. J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, along with David Heyman of Heyday Films, round out the executive producing team. The show is a joint production between HBO, Brontë Film and TV, and Warner Bros. Television.

For Season 2, writer Jon Brown (who worked on the first season) has been promoted to co-showrunner, sharing the role with Gardiner.

Hoult’s Latest Big Swing

Landing the Lockhart role marks Hoult’s third significant television project, following his early breakout in the British series Skins and his acclaimed performance in Hulu’s The Great, which brought him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. With Superman behind him and Hogwarts ahead, Hoult continues to build a career defined by scene-stealing, larger-than-life characters.

Back in 2000, Nicholas Hoult auditioned for several roles, including Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, in the first film but unfortunately didn’t make the cut.

I think I got to the point where I auditioned with [Columbus]. He didn’t remember this, it wasn’t even a memorable audition. I think I said, “Hey, I auditioned for Harry Potter. Still waiting to hear back… I think I’m kind of going to age out of it soon.”

I remember doing a couple of auditions, and then meeting him and maybe having fake glasses for the audition. Not getting the role of Harry, and then maybe coming back and [them] being like, “Will you audition for Malfoy?” I don’t think I got that either, and then they were like just gradually audition for every role in Harry Potter until they were like, “No.”

Source: Deadline