In a shakeup recasting, HBO's "Harry Potter" series has tapped Kit Harington to play Gilderoy Lockhart, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who dropped out of the role due to scheduling conflicts.

Kit Harington ("Game of Thrones") will now play smarmy Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart in "Harry Potter" Season 2, replacing the previously announced Nicholas Hoult, TVLine h...

Harington will take on the role played by Kenneth Branagh in the original film series, though it won't be Harington's first time portraying Gilderoy Lockhart: he voiced the role in "Harry Potter: The ...