After spending a hefty part of his career dealing with magic and dragons in Game of Thrones, venturing into the wizarding world of HBO’s Harry Potter series sounds like a breeze for Kit Harington, and it sounds like he thinks so too. During an appearance on Today, the star spoke about signing on to play Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, after replacing Nicholas Hoult, who left the project due to scheduling issues.
“When I knew this was happening as a series, I thought it was the best idea,” Harington explained. “I love the films, but with this, they can really explore the books at their fullest, and for a book nerd like me, that was a really great idea.”
Harington certainly has a point about the show having more time and space to dive into the books they’re adapting. A lot was omitted from the 2002 take on Chamber of Secrets, including some of Lockhart’s scenes (then played by Kenneth Branagh). There’s a lot more to see that highlights just how self-indulgent and grandiose the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gets, getting involved where he’s not wanted, including in other classes.
There’s also his ridiculous Valentine’s Day breakfast where he turns the Great Hall a horrific shade of pink and has dwarves dressed in wings carrying around harps. These plot points won’t be new for the star, though, given that he actually voiced the character in the Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions audiobooks last year.
Now isn’t the time to get ahead of ourselves, though, given that we’ve not even boarded the Hogwarts Express just yet for the first season. It’s then that we get properly acquainted with the new Boy Who Lived and his pals, who are this time played by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger. Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall will also be there to teach them lessons and save their lives when they can.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone arrives on HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day. Also keep an eye out for new TV shows arriving later this year.