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Credit: Inside the MagicAfter years of anticipation, HBO’s Harry Potter television reboot is finally taking shape. With filming well underway across the U.K., Warner Bros. recently confirmed the series will premiere in 2027. It will mark a new beginning for J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world.
The extensive cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter.
The project has quickly become one of HBO’s most ambitious productions to date, and it promises to be a faithful retelling of the books spanning multiple seasons.
He Who Must Not Be Named… Or She?
But one key role remains conspicuously unfilled — that of Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord whose shadow looms over the entire saga. Originally portrayed to chilling perfection by Ralph Fiennes in the Harry Potter films, the question of who will embody Tom Riddle in this new adaptation has become the heart of much debate since the show was announced.
However, according to a report from insider Daniel Richtman (via SFFGazette.com), Warner Bros. and HBO may be taking a bold creative leap — by considering a female Voldemort.
“For the Harry Potter show, they’re auditioning both men and women for Voldemort, so it’s possible we could see a female Voldemort in the series,” Richtman wrote in September.
Female Voldemort Divides Harry Potter Fans
The rumor, unsurprisingly, has set the Harry Potter fandom ablaze. Online reactions range from disbelief to outrage and support to total indifference. Some Potterheads see the move as another example of stirring the pot (or, in this case, the cauldron), while others argue that “gender-swapping” the character could add a new layer to an already very complex villain.
Click here to see some of the early reactions to the report.
Others have been fan-casting Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) and Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange, Avengers: Endgame) using AI-generated images on social media. It’s worth noting, however, that both actresses have already played a witch — Erivo as Elphaba (AKA the Wicked Witch of the West) in last year’s Wicked and Swinton as the White Witch (AKA Queen Jadis) in 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Related: James McAvoy Reveals ‘Harry Potter’ Voldemort Role Ahead of Upcoming Reboot
HBO’s Harry Potter Won’t Escape Controversy Either Way
Of course, whether male or female, it’s possible Voldemort has already been cast, especially seeing as the character is expected to make an appearance in Season 1 — on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head and in flashback sequences in which Harry’s parents are killed.
With HBO’s adaptation already breaking expectations — the controversial casting of Black actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape — a female Voldemort may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. While many of the other cast members closely resemble their wizarding world counterparts and cinematic predecessors, Essiedu’s casting signals that this new Harry Potter will not be afraid to challenge visual and narrative traditions.
Not only that, but the franchise is now so entrenched in controversy after all the J.K. Rowling drama, it’s hard to imagine the HBO series being as squeaky clean as the films.
The Harry Potter TV series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (HBO’s Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films are also onboard as executive producers. Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive-produce and direct multiple episodes.
Season 1 will premiere on HBO in 2027.
Would you like to see a female Lord Voldemort, or do you think the idea is riddikulus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!