The upcoming Harry Potter HBO reboot has a lot to live up in the minds of fans of the original series of films, and particularly the books. Much has been made of the show's commitment to being faithful to the source material by the producers, so fans are scrutinizing every decision made at this early stage keenly.
Part of that is the casting for the series, with many of the major characters now having actors attached, including the three child protagonists. One of the characters who remains a mystery, however, is the big bad himself - Lord Voldemort.
Speculation has been rife in recent weeks with several names bandied about, most notably Matt Smith of House of the Dragon and Doctor Who fame.
As first reported by ComicBook, Smith appeared on TODAY to promote his upcoming film Caught Stealing, where he was asked about his potential appearance in the show.
Advert
"Can anyone play [Voldemort] after Ralph? He was so good,” Smith said. “I think following in the footsteps of the great Ralph Fiennes is a very difficult mantle for someone. So good luck, whoever it is. It ain’t gonna be me."
So that's pretty unequivocal and he isn't wrong to boot. Fiennes performance as Voldemort is fairly iconic, even if it did differ from the book version quite significantly.
Equally, the same could be said for a lot of the characters who do already have big names attached, whether that be John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore or Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
The series has now begun principal photography, with a full Harry Potter release not scheduled until 2027, so that will give them time to make a decision on the series' antagonist.
Advert
The Philosopher's Stone also doesn't feature Voldemort particularly heavily, which may also reduce the need to find an actor for the role quickly.
Topics: Harry Potter, Warner Bros, TV And Film