HBO's newest Harry Potter reboot casting finally ended rumors about Voldemort's potential gender-swapping. HBO had no easy task replacing all-time British acting legends like Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, and Michael Gambon as the crucial Hogwarts professors. Even with Harry Potter just months away from its series premiere this holiday season, fans are still waiting to hear who will take over from Ralph Fiennes as the villain of the saga, Lord Voldemort.
Voldemort’s recasting has been the subject of many rumors, ranging from Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy becoming the Dark Lord to MCU Vision actor Paul Bettany taking a stab at the Wizarding World villain. The strangest rumor came last year, when insider Daniel Richtman scooped that HBO was auditioning men AND women to replace Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort.
As Harry Potter edges closer to its Season 1 premiere in December, the studio is already in pre-production on Season 2, which will, of course, adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for a new generation. In news that will offer a sigh of relief to many, HBO finally announced who will play the young Voldemort, Tom Riddle, in The Chamber of Secrets: Bring Her Back actor Billy Barratt.
The confirmation that the 19-year-old British male will play Tom Riddle during his time at Hogwarts makes it clear that, no, HBO isn't gender-swapping Voldemort. That ought to conclude the bogus rumors that Tilda Swinton or Cynthia Erivo may be in line for Harry Potter's Dark Lady, as it would be rather strange for Voldemort to switch from male to female between his Hogwarts youth and resurrection.
Just as Christian Coulson played the young Riddle on the big screen while Ralph Fiennes became the fully-grown Voldemort, starting with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barratt isn't expected to play the villain in his elder years.
Recently, many fans were convinced that they spotted Voldemort in Harry Potter's second trailer, speculating that the mysterious cloaked figure approaching a rather quaint cottage was the Dark Lord on his way to kill Lily and James Potter. While that may well be the case, there's no telling whether an actor has actually been cast or if Voldemort will remain a faceless hooded figure for now.
Beyond the brand new flashback scenes to the Potters' Halloween demise, Harry Potter Season 1 will spend a little time with Voldemort. The Philosopher's Stone's climactic twist will confirm that the Dark Lord has been hiding under Professor Quirrell's (Luke Thallon) turban on the back of his head all year long, revealing the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as Season 1's surprise villain.
Once again, HBO could either get ahead of the game by casting its Voldemort actor for Season 1, placing them on Quirrell's head, and in flashbacks to the Potters' deaths, or use a stand-in and save that casting until later on.
Voldemort enters the tale of The Chamber of Secrets in a rather surprising way, as Harry Potter communicates with a bewitched diary that once belonged to the young Slytherin student Tom Riddle, unaware is, in fact, his parents' killer.
Harry writes back and forth with the memory of Riddle to unravel the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets' reopening. That same memory would also manipulate Ginny Weasley (who was also recast for Season 2 with Bonnie Hill) into reopening the Chamber and unleashing the Basilisk, hoping to usher in Voldemort's return.
It isn't until Harry ventures into the Chamber to rescue Ginny that he discovers that the magical pen pal's full name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, rearranges to declare, "I am Lord Voldemort." Of course, that wouldn't stop Harry from defeating the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor and using its fang to destroy the diary, unknowingly eradicating the franchise's first Horcrux and piece of Voldemort's soul.
When Will HBO's Harry Potter Actually Cast Its Voldemort?
The news that Voldemort won't be gender-swapped for HBO's Harry Potter will be a relief to all of those hoping for a more book-accurate adaptation. The studio already faced backlash for race-swapping Severus Snape with Black actor Paapa Essiedu and likely won't be eager to risk any more major criticism.
While Voldemort is the driving force behind the Harry Potter franchise, he doesn't appear in his real, present-day body as much as some may think. After all, he only appears on Quirrell's head briefly in The Philosopher's Stone, through the diary in The Chamber of Secrets, and then sits out The Prisoner of Azkaban altogether.
Even in Harry Potter's second, darker half, Voldemort isn't resurrected until the end of The Goblet of Fire, appears briefly at the Ministry of Magic and in Harry's head in The Order of the Phoenix, and again is absent in The Half-Blood Prince, before finally having a more expanded role in The Deathly Hallows before his demise.
All that being said, it doesn't make sense to cast Ralph Fiennes' true replacement until it comes time to adapt The Goblet of Fire for HBO in Season 4, which won't be shooting until at least 2028/29, when Voldemort truly enters the fray. Then again, as HBO is adding scenes to Season 1 that weren't in the books or movies, Voldemort could take on a larger role than expected and have been cast in secret.
Of course, the Oscar-nominee Ralph Fiennes is a tough act to follow, and it will take some major talent to earn the role of the next Voldemort. While Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer actor Cillian would be truly excellent, he is unlikely to sign on for such a commitment. Perhaps the likes of Paul Bettany, Jamie Campbell Bower, or Andy Serkis could have what it takes to play the Dark Lord.
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