Harry Potter Season 2: New Cast Members Cast for The Chamber of Secrets
The reboot will premiere on HBO Max in December 2026
The cast of the second season of HBO's "Harry Potter" series continues to take shape. According to the industry magazine Variety, three new actors have been cast for "The Chamber of Secrets".
Arthur Weasley
One of the most significant new cast additions involves the Weasley family. Rafe Spall, known for his roles in films such as "Life of Pi" and "Shaun of the Dead", will take on the role of Arthur Weasley. Arthur works at the Ministry of Magic and is best known for his great enthusiasm for the Muggle world. Although he comes from a long-established wizarding family, he is very interested in the way of life of non-magical people. In the previous films, Arthur Weasley was portrayed by Mark Williams.
Moaning Myrtle
Moaning Myrtle will be portrayed in future films by Molly Hewitt-Richards, star of "Code of Silence". Myrtle is the ghost of a former Hogwarts student who haunts the girls' restroom. In the film series, Shirley Henderson played Myrtle. At the time, however, the actress was already significantly older than her character.
Colin Creevey
The third recast involves Colin Creevey. Jasper Ambrose, who has appeared in "The Sheep Detectives", among other projects, takes on the role of the young Hogwarts student. Colin is an enthusiastic amateur photographer and one of Harry's biggest fans. From the very first time he meets the famous wizard, he is completely fascinated by him and wants to take as many photos of his idol as possible. In the movies, Colin was played by Hugh Mitchell.
Kit Harington to Play Gilderoy Lockhart
The "Harry Potter" series has also been making headlines lately due to the casting of another role for the second season: Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart is a famous wizard who comes to Hogwarts as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, he's also a rather vain fellow. The character first appeared 24 years ago in the second "Harry Potter" movie, "The Chamber of Secrets". Back then, Lockhart was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh.
His successor was originally supposed to be Nicholas Hoult, who was most recently seen as Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor in James Gunn's DC blockbuster. About a month ago, it was reported that he was set to play the role of Lockhart.
Just under two weeks later, however, it was reported that he had left the project due to scheduling conflicts. But a replacement had already been found: "Game of Thrones" star Kit Harington was cast as the new Gilderoy Lockhart just as suddenly as it was unexpected. This could turn out to be a stroke of luck. After all, Harington is very familiar with the role. He has already lent his voice to Lockhart in an audiobook adaptation of the "Harry Potter" novels. Plus, he's been a fan of the fantasy books since childhood.
Tom Riddle, Ginny Weasley, and Dobby
The younger version of Harry's arch-nemesis, Lord Voldemort, was also recently cast. Billy Barratt will portray Tom Riddle. Who will play the older version of the villain, however, remains a mystery. Bonnie Hill takes on the role of Ginny Weasley, the sister of Harry's best friend Ron. In the first season, Ginny is played by Gracie Cochrane. A few months ago, however, it was announced that she would no longer be part of the cast in the second season. Lenny Rush plays the house-elf Dobby.
New Trailer Offers Further Glimpses into the Series
Based on J.K. Rowling's books, a total of seven seasons are planned. In other words, each season will adapt one of the seven novels. Rowling became a celebrated bestselling author with her fantasy series. In recent years, however, she has faced a great deal of criticism. She has been accused of repeatedly making derogatory remarks about transgender people.
The upcoming HBO series isn't the first time the books have been adapted for the screen. They were previously adapted for the big screen in the 2000s. At that time, Daniel Radcliffe played the title role. Both the novels and the film adaptations center on the eponymous Harry Potter, who is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a young boy and trained to become a wizard. There, he also meets his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Together, they face off against the villain Lord Voldemort. The new, highly anticipated trailer was recently released, offering a sneak peek at what we can expect from the new "Harry Potter" series. The first season of the reboot will premiere on HBO Max in December 2026.
