Daniel Radcliffe Reportedly Returning to ‘Harry Potter’ as Lord Voldemort in Shocking HBO Twist

Okay, this one’s genuinely wild even by casting rumor standards. Word is spreading that Daniel Radcliffe, the guy who spent a full decade playing Harry Potter, might be circling a deal to play his own worst enemy in HBO’s reboot series. Add in a stack of fresh casting confirmations and a brand new trailer that’s already got fans fighting in the comments, and there’s a lot to unpack with this show right now.

Quick hits in this one:

• The rumor putting Radcliffe in the running for Voldemort himself
• Who’s already locked in as young Tom Riddle
• New faces cast as Dobby and a recast Ginny Weasley
• The new trailer, and why the internet can’t agree on it

From “The Boy Who Lived” to Playing the Guy Who Wants Him Dead

Culture Crave dropped this on X, reporting that Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly close to verbally locking in a deal with HBO to play Lord Voldemort in the upcoming Harry Potter series. If this actually happens, it’s a genuinely wild full circle moment, Radcliffe going from the actor who WAS Harry Potter for a decade straight to playing the villain trying to kill him instead.

Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly CLOSE to verbally agreeing a deal with HBO to play Lord Voldemort in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series.

If the deal is finalized, the former Harry Potter actor would go from the boy who lived to he who must not be named. pic.twitter.com/KGnaewAr2N

— Culture Cave (@CultureCave_) September 6, 2026

Quick clarification though, this would be the older, adult Voldemort, not Tom Riddle, since that role’s already been cast separately. The deal’s still just “close,” not confirmed, so nothing’s official yet. But just the idea alone has fans absolutely losing it online.

Meet the Kid Already Playing Young Voldemort

While everyone’s speculating about who lands the adult Voldemort role, HBO already locked down Tom Riddle. Billy Barratt, who you might know from Bring Her Back and Invasion, is playing young Lord Voldemort. This kid’s got serious credentials too, becoming the youngest actor ever to win an International Emmy for Best Actor at just 13 years old for the TV movie Responsible Child. He’s currently the only actor officially attached to any version of Voldemort in this whole reboot, and nobody knows who’s playing the grown up version yet. Fans are betting that face shows up briefly at the very end of season one.

Dobby and a Brand New Ginny Just Joined the Cast

On top of the Tom Riddle news, HBO confirmed British actor and presenter Lenny Rush, known for A Woman of Substance, is playing Dobby the house elf, likely done through CG just like the original movies handled it.

Meanwhile, young actress Bonnie Hill, from The Six Triple Eight and Girl Troop versus Aliens, is stepping into Ginny Weasley starting in season two. This recast happened after original actress Gracie Cochrane decided to leave the role once season one wrapped filming. The production actually put out a statement about it, saying, “Due to unforeseen circumstances Gracie Cochrane has made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO Harry Potter series after season one. Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience. Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.”

The Trailer Dropped, and Twitter Immediately Split in Half

All this casting news landed right alongside HBO dropping a brand new, full length trailer for the show, officially called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for season one. HBO also put out a new logline with it: “There is nothing special about Harry Potter, or so his Aunt Petunia tells him. But when a mysterious letter of admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrives, it opens the door to a hidden world of magic, friendship and adventure. Yet behind Hogwarts’ enchanted walls lie dark secrets. Harry must find the courage to prove himself against the darkest wizard of all.”

The cast’s stacked too, Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Rory Wilmot as Neville, Lox Pratt as Draco, plus a huge supporting cast filling out the rest of Hogwarts.

And yeah, reactions are all over the place. The trailer hits all the classic beats, the dining hall welcome, the sorting hat, the Mirror of Erised, mandrake potting class, the troll in the dungeon, and honestly the whole thing looks almost identical to the 2001 movie. That’s exactly what’s got people mad, why remake something if it’s basically the same, especially with all the ongoing backlash toward J.K. Rowling’s public comments. Other people online think they should’ve dug into stuff the movies never covered, and some are just saying the new cast doesn’t hold up. Plus a bunch of complaints about how dark and gloomy the whole thing looks compared to the brighter, warmer original film.

Still, plenty of fans are genuinely hyped too, and honestly Dominic McLaughlin’s got that same charm the role needs based on the trailer alone. HBO’s whole pitch here is that a full series lets them tell a deeper, more complete version of the story than any two hour movie ever could.

Christmas Is Coming, Whether the Internet’s Ready or Not

Between the Radcliffe rumor, all this new casting, and a trailer that’s already sparking major online arguments, HBO’s Harry Potter series is generating exactly the kind of buzz a project this big needs before its Christmas 2026 premiere. Whether it actually wins people over or just proves the doubters right, we won’t know until season one actually drops. But based on how much people are already talking, this show isn’t losing steam anytime soon.

You hoping the Radcliffe rumor is real, or does this trailer make you think the whole show didn’t need to happen? Tell us in the comments what you’re most curious about before Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone actually premieres.