Who should portray Voldemort in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series?

With HBO officially moving ahead on its Harry Potter reboot series, fans are speculating about who might be cast in key roles. While much attention is on Harry, Hermione, and Ron, few figures are as central—or as menacing—as Lord Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes’ chilling portrayal in the original films set a high bar, but HBO’s series, expected to span multiple seasons, will demand a new face behind the franchise’s greatest villain. In this article, we explore potential actors who could inhabit the Dark Lord, what the new series format allows creatively, and how the portrayal of Voldemort could evolve for a new generation of fans.

Why Voldemort matters more than ever in a reboot

Voldemort isn’t just a central antagonist in the Harry Potter saga. He symbolizes the ideological clash driving the narrative—purity versus equality, fear versus courage, and authoritarianism versus resistance. A successful reboot must present a Voldemort who’s more than theatrically evil. This version must feel grounded in the era’s darker social anxieties, making his manipulation of power and charisma plausible.

Unlike the original films compressed into time-limited blocks, HBO’s serial format provides the runway to explore Voldemort’s origin (as Tom Riddle), his psychological transformation, and his rise to dark supremacy in far more detail. This opens casting options beyond just appearance—it demands someone with range, restraint, and menace.

Casting options: who could wear the serpentine crown?

The casting of Voldemort will require a high-caliber performer capable of channeling calculated rage, cerebral intimidation, and eventual psychopathy. A few frontrunners favored by fans and casting speculators include:

• Barry Keoghan: Known for his unsettling intensity in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and recent blockbuster roles, Keoghan carries both boyish charm and a sinister undertow—perfect for charting the arc from Tom Riddle to Dark Lord.
• Ben Barnes: His work in Shadow and Bone and The Punisher show a capacity for layered villains with grandeur and moral ambiguity. Barnes could bring a seductive edge to younger Riddle and evolve into something darker with credible menace.
• Tom Hiddleston: Though his widespread recognition as Loki might be both a pro and con, Hiddleston has the stage background, Shakespearean gravitas, and nuanced subtlety Voldemort demands in his more mature years.
• Richard Armitage: An older pick who could take on the role in later seasons, Armitage has delivered brooding roles in Hannibal and The Hobbit that echo ruthless ambition and moral descent.

Voldemort timeline: multiple actors or one?

Given HBO’s plan to dedicate each season to a book, we can expect a long-form portrayal of Voldemort from his teenage years through to the Battle of Hogwarts. The franchise has two options: cast one actor and use makeup/digital de-aging, or follow a multi-actor model like The Crown. The latter allows greater flexibility and realism, especially in exploring pivotal points:

• Tom Riddle (Hogwarts years): A charming but cold prodigy obsessed with immortality and power.
• Post-Hogwarts rise to power: A darker, more seductive figure weaving influence in secret.
• Disfigured Voldemort: After experiments with dark magic and Horcrux creation, a version stripped of humanity.

This structure would benefit from casting actors with similar facial features and vocal tones to create continuity. It also allows HBO the flexibility to emphasize Voldemort’s psychological disintegration as he morphs from human to monstrous over seasons.

Legacy and pressure: matching Fiennes’ benchmark

Any new Voldemort will inevitably be compared to Ralph Fiennes’ legendary portrayal—a performance that combined horror, dignity, madness, and poetry. Yet Fiennes’ Voldemort was compressed into feature-length storytelling. The HBO series has the chance to dig deeper, showing how trauma, ideology, and brilliance warped a gifted child into a brutal tyrant.

By leveraging modern storytelling, character-driven screenwriting, and longer runtimes, this rebooted Voldemort might rival, or even surpass, Fiennes’ iteration in emotional and narrative complexity. But it hinges entirely on casting the right actor(s) and committing to portraying evil as evolution—not cliché.

Final thoughts

The new Harry Potter series offers a rare opportunity to redefine one of fantasy literature’s most iconic villains. Casting Voldemort will be one of HBO’s most critical decisions, with consequences stretching across seasons and shaping how a new generation experiences the magical world. Whoever dons the pale skin and speaks in whispers will need to embody both the allure and horror of ultimate corruption. Whether HBO opts for a rising star like Keoghan or a seasoned powerhouse like Hiddleston, the role demands gravity, subtlety, and an unnerving presence that haunts every frame. For fans and critics alike, Voldemort may be the performance that defines the reboot’s success or spells its failure.

Image by: Anat Rabkin
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