Harry Potter fans are going to have to find a new dream casting for Lord Voldemort.
Cillian Murphy was the guest on Thursday’s episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where one of the topics he and host Josh Horowitz discussed was the rumors, largely fueled by fans, that he would portray the villain in the original Harry Potter films, Voldemort, in the upcoming reboot TV series from HBO. Ralph Fiennes previously played the role.
Horowitz asked if there was anything to those rumors, to which Murphy replied, “No, my kids show me it occasionally, but no, I don’t know anything about that. I mean, also, it’s just really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does. The man is an absolute acting legend. So, good luck to whoever is going to fill those shoes.”
The Harry Potter films kicked off in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, based on J.K. Rowling’s novels and continued with eight films total, seeing Harry’s story conclude in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
In the TV series, which is set to debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027, Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as Harry Potter; Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout is set to portray Ron Weasley. Each of the seven books is expected to have its own season. Click here to see the full list of who’s who in the Harry Potter TV series.
As for Murphy, his upcoming projects include the Netflix film, Steve, premiering on the streamer Oct. 3, a Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man, set to hit theaters in 2026 and the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, releasing in theaters in January 2026.