Nicholas Hoult quits Harry Potter role following backlash as replacement announced already

Following uproar from his fans, Nicholas Hoult has pulled out of his role in the upcoming Harry Potter television series.

The Skins alum's role as charming Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher - a role first made famous by Kenneth Branagh in 2002 - was announced earlier this month.

HBO bosses confirmed he'd be joining the all-star lineup for the second instalment, based on the second movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The series has faced severe controversy since it was announced that JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, was to take on an executive production role, given the increasingly extreme remarks about transgender people she had made in recent years.

The writer previously criticised the term 'people who menstruate' after it was used in an essay to include trans and non-binary individuals.

Several cast members came under fire previously for agreeing to work with Rowling (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

She also tweeted in 2024: "There are no trans kids. No child is 'born in the wrong body'. There are only adults like you, prepared to sacrifice the health of minors to bolster your belief in an ideology..."

Several cast members have also faced backlash for agreeing to work alongside Rowling for the series, including John Lithgow, Nick Frost and Bel Powley.

More recently, Hoult was subjected to the same criticism by his LGBTQ+ fanbase, having previously played sexually fluid teenager Tony Stonem in Skins.

"Damn. I was soooooo rooting for him. This is a slap in the face to every trans fan of his," one former fan hit out.

Another pointed out: "Nicholas Hoult wrapped on Cry to Heaven starring two transgender actresses and decides to join the Harry Potter TV show next."

"How disappointing," a third wrote, while someone else agreed: "Another one bites the dust."

Hoult was criticised for accepting the role (Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage)

Less than a week after the announcement, however, TV bosses confirmed that Hoult would no longer take on the role of Lockhart.

According to Variety, his swift exit was down to 'scheduling conflicts'.

It was simultaneously confirmed that Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington will play the crooked professor, replacing Hoult.

The former Jon Snow star told the publication: "It was a really simple yes, because I love the character. As far as cameos in a series go, you don’t get much more entertaining and fun to do as an actor than Gilderoy Lockhart.

"It was a no-brainer."

The news comes weeks after Hoult revealed he'd auditioned for the original film franchise several decades earlier.

Harington was announced as Hoult's replacement (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

"I think I got to the point where I auditioned with [director Chris Columbus]; he didn’t remember this, it wasn’t even a memorable audition," he explained during an appearance on Hot Ones Versus.

"I think I said, ‘Hey, I auditioned for Harry Potter. Still waiting to hear back… I think I’m kind of going to age out of it soon’."

He continued: "I remember doing a couple of auditions, and then meeting him and maybe having fake glasses for the audition. Not getting the role of Harry, and then maybe coming back and [them] being like, 'Will you audition for Malfoy?'.

"I don’t think I got that either, and then they were like, 'Just gradually audition for every role in Harry Potter', until they were like, 'No'.