Nicholas Hoult drops out of Harry Potter series days after casting was announced
Nicholas Hoult will no longer star in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, according to reports.
The actor - famed for his star in British TV shows such as Skins - was set to take on the role of Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season.
However, it has now been reported that another famous face will be taking on the role, as Hoult has had to drop out due to 'scheduling issues'.
According to Deadline, filming was set to be adapted so that Hoult could shoot scenes while also juggling two other projects.
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However, as they couldn't find a way around these scheduling conflicts, the publication reported that he has been let out of his deal.
HBO has instead called on the iconic Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington to step into the shoes of Lockhart.
This shouldn't be too difficult to him to prepare for, as he has voiced the character in the audiobook titled Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, which was released last year.
Harington told Audible at this time that he had been 'entranced' by the Harry Potter books as a child, like many other youngsters.
"I think there’s a little bit of Gilderoy Lockhart in all of us," he later added.
Lockhart is a central character in the second book in JK Rowling's renowned series.
The half-blood wizard is hired by Dumbledore as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts where he quickly earns himself a reputation for being vain, fame-obsessed and more than a little bit full of himself.
Although Lockhart appears charming on the surface, underneath it all he’s hiding something very different altogether and things quickly take a dark turn.
The role was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The character also pops up again in Order of the Phoenix, however, this was cut from the films.
Beside Skins, Hoult is well known for his long list of TV and film credits, including the likes of About a Boy as a child before going on to the likes of Clash of the Titans and X-Men: First Class.
He has also recently starred in The Menu, Nosferatu and Superman.
The first trailer for HBO's adaptation of Rowling's books dropped back in March.
It gave fans a first look at Dominic McLaughlin in action as the Boy Who Lived, as well as teasing several major departures from the original books and film series.
Topics: Celebrity, Harry Potter
Olivia Burke