Nicholas Hoult joins Harry Potter season two

Nicholas Hoult is joining the second season of HBO's Harry Potter TV series.

The British X-Men star has been cast to play wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, Variety reports.

The highly anticipated series is due to debut on Christmas Day, with the first season covering the action in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The show's second season will be based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Lockhart is a central character in Chamber of Secrets; a famous wizard known for heroic acts yet also incredibly arrogant and vain. The character was played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film of the same name.

Hoult joins the franchise after playing Dr Hank McCoy/Beast in multiple X-Men films. He also played Lex Luthor Superman in 2025 and will reprise that role in the sequel, Man of Tomorrow, in 2027. His breakout role was in the UK teen drama Skins.

Filming on the second season of Harry Potter is due to begin this autumn. Dominic McLaughlin will star in the title role, with Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout playing Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Additional cast members include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.