(Photo Credit: Warner Bros.)
A new actor has entered the running for the coveted role of Lord Voldemort in HBO‘s Harry Potter series.
Ever since HBO’s reboot of J.K. Rowling’s beloved series of novels was announced, Harry Potter fans have been campaigning for Cillian Murphy to play Lord Voldemort, the main villain of the seven-book series. Unfortunately, Murphy revealed in a recent interview that he was “categorically not” playing the villainous character.
Another popular fan pick for the role, Matt Smith, has also indicated that he was unlikely to join the production, noting how hard it would be to succeed Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, since he was “so good” in the role.
Which MCU star could be playing Voldemort in HBO’s Harry Potter series?
According to Daniel Richtman in his latest Patreon post, Paul Bettany is now HBO’s top choice to play Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Bettany is best known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared in nine movies and shows since 2008. His tenth appearance will be in VisionQuest, which is slated to hit Disney+ later this year.
Outside of the MCU, the actor is known for appearing in the films A Knight’s Tale, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Dogville, The Da Vinci Code, The Tourist, Legend, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
If Bettany is cast as Voldemort, he would join an ensemble cast that is being headlined by Dominic McLaughlin as the titular boy wizard. The rest of the series regulars for Harry Potter Season 1 include Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Francesca Gardiner is serving as head writer and showrunner on Harry Potter, while Mark Mylod is attached as its main director. The first season, consisting of eight episodes and adapting Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, began production in July 2025.
Harry Potter is expected to premiere on HBO in early 2027.
