Cillian Murphy was also linked to the role of Voldemort, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in the film franchise.

Paul Bettany reacts to Voldemort casting rumors for HBO’s *Harry Potter *television series

Cillian Murphy was also linked to the role of Voldemort, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in the film franchise.

By Marina Watts

March 9, 2026 7:59 p.m. ET

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Paul Bettany in 2025; Lord Voldemort. Credit:

Karwai Tang/WireImage; Warner Bros

- Paul Bettany is responding to Voldemort casting rumors for the *Harry Potter *HBO series.

- The *WandaVision *star says he's a "big fan" of the IP.

- The series, which will adapt each book in the series into a season of television, is expected to premiere in "early 2027."

Paul Bettany has weighed in on potentially portraying Lord Voldemort on the *Harry Potter *HBO show.

The *WandaVision *actor told *ScreenRant *on Sunday, March 8 at the Saturn Awards that though he hasn't been contacted by HBO about their forthcoming *Harry Potter *television series, he is a "big fan" of the franchise.

"I haven't heard anything about that," Bettany told the outlet in response to being asked about playing the series villain, Voldemort. "I mean I'm a big fan of the IP, and I'm a big fan of HBO, but nobody has called me up about it."

** contacted Warner Bros. Discovery and did not receive an immediate response. A rep for Bettany had no further comment.

Paul Bettany in New York in 2022.

Bruce Glikas/Getty

According to Deadline, Cillian Murphy was linked to take on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, brought to life by Ralph Fiennes in the film franchise.

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Murphy spoke about the role, praising Fiennes' performance as the Dark Lord. “No, my kids show me it occasionally, but no, I don’t know anything about that," he said on the *Happy Sad Confused* podcast in September 2025. “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.”

Months later, he told *The Times* in February that he is "categorically not" playing Voldemort.**

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In the television series, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will portray Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will take on the role of Ron Weasley. A casting call for the Golden Trio saw tens of thousands of children audition for the highly coveted roles.

Other major roles cast include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.**

A Harry Potter television series was in talks as early as January 2021 with the intention of diving deeper into the source material and a season devoting itself to each book, creating an even more detailed wizarding world.**

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort.

Season 1 of the HBO series is in production in the U.K. Though there is no exact release date for the *Harry Potter *television adaptation, it is expected to come out in "early 2027," according to Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, Deadline reports.

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Source: “EW Harry”