Ralph Fiennes Reveals Surprising Pick for Voldemort in HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series

Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes just revealed his top pick to play Voldemort in the upcoming HBO series — and his first choice might surprise fans of the franchise.

In the original film series, Fiennes played He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named starting in the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when the villain finally returns from the dead. It’s unclear when the upcoming series will fully introduce its version of Voldemort. But as of writing, there has been no casting news for the Dark Lord.

Fiennes recently appeared on the BBC‘s The Claudia Winkleman Show, during which he discussed the idea of returning to the iconic role 15 years later.

“I remember being asked the question, ‘Would I reprise the part?’ he admitted. “This was some years ago. And I said, ‘Yes, I’d love to.'” Unfortunately, Fiennes said that “nothing’s happened,” conceding, “That ship has sailed.”

Fiennes added, “But I’ll tell you, Tilda Swinton was mentioned somewhere as being a contender, and I think she would be amazing.”

In September 2025, entertainment insider Daniel Richtman claimed via X that the HBO series is “auditioning both men and women” for Lord Voldemort. Both Swinton and Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy became popular fan-castings. However, Murphy shut down the speculation during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that same month.

“No, he told host Josh Horowiz. “I don’t know anything about that.”

Murphy pointed out, “It’s also really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does. The man is an absolute acting legend, so good luck to whoever’s gonna fill those shoes.” Additionally, he joked that he is “very attached” to his nose.

HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed that the Dark Lord had not yet been cast during a March interview with Variety. “As a rule, I would say any rumors – don’t [believe them]. I don’t even know who we’re casting,” he insisted, adding, “I would take everything you read with a grain of salt.”

Harry Potter, premiering on Christmas Day 2026 on HBO Max.