After months of swirling speculation, HBO has unveiled a major wave of casting announcements for its upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot – but one of the most pivotal roles still remains unclaimed: Lord Voldemort.
Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy has now emerged as the odds-on favourite to play the Dark Lord, following weeks of mounting speculation.
Murphy – who won Best Actor at the 2024 Academy Awards for Oppenheimer – had previously been rumoured for the role of Professor Quirrell, but that part has since gone to Luke Thallon, leaving the door wide open for him to portray you-know-who.
Backing from franchise veterans has further fuelled the buzz. Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort across multiple Harry Potter films, has publicly endorsed Murphy.
Longtime Potter director Chris Columbus also weighed in, telling People: “Cillian is one of my favourite actors, so that would be amazing.”
Currently, Murphy leads betting markets with odds of 10/11 to take on the role. But he’s not without competition.
Fellow British star Tom Hiddleston is close behind at 6/4, while House of the Dragon actor Rhys Ifans sits at 7/4.
Hollywood heavyweight Christian Bale is also in the mix, listed at 2/1, should HBO seek an A-list name to helm the franchise’s most sinister figure.
Speaking to Deadline, Warner Bros. TV CEO Channing Dungey admitted the Voldemort role is still under deliberation.
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She said: “You’re missing [Voldemort] in your deck, because we are still weighing a couple of different options there, so we’re not quite ready yet. That’s an important role to get right.”
Meanwhile, a flurry of casting confirmations have continued to shape the new Harry Potter universe.
In the past two months, HBO has revealed 18 cast members. Among the most recent are Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will portray Petunia and Vernon Dursley, while Johnny Flynn and Lox Pratt are set to play Lucius and Draco Malfoy.
After a global search involving tens of thousands of auditions, the trio at the heart of the series was recently been revealed: Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner praised the casting choices, stating: “The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.”
Earlier casting announcements included John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Attention is now also turning to the casting of Arthur Weasley, who remains notably absent from announcements.
While Parkinson has been confirmed as Molly, speculation is mounting that her Rivals co-star Danny Dyer could be in line to play her on-screen husband.
Dyer is now the third favourite at 11/5, behind Simon Pegg (15/8) and Stephen Merchant (2/1).
Elsewhere, the character of Mr Ollivander is also expected to make an appearance in the first season.
The late John Hurt portrayed the legendary wandmaker in the original films, and betting sites now have Mackenzie Crook as the 6/4 favourite to step into the role, with Toby Jones and Simon Pegg following closely behind.