Nicholas Hoult quits Harry Potter role following JK Rowling backlash as he is replaced by Kit Harington

Nicholas Hoult has backed out of his role as Gilderoy Lockhart in the upcoming Harry Potter series amid mounting backlash over JK Rowling.

The 'Game of Thrones' star will play the fan-favorite character in Harry Potter season two.

Kit Harington will now play Gilderoy Lockhart in Season 2 of HBO’s “Harry Potter” series, replacing Nicholas Hoult, who exited the production due to scheduling conflicts. Harington recently voiced Lockhart in Audible’s “Harry Potter” audiobooks, which released late last year. The character is central to the plot of the

EXCLUSIVE: Game of Thrones star Kit Harington is joining another tentpole fantasy series for HBO. He will play Gilderoy Lockhart in Season 2 of Harry Potter. Harington replaces Nicholas Hoult who was originally cast in the role but left over scheduling issues. HBO had to work around two pre-existing Hoult projects; whe