Ralph Fiennes wants this actor to play Voldemort in Harry Potter HBO series

By Dan Girolamo Published December 4, 2024

Voldemort stares while sitting down on the left as a man stands on the right. — Warner Bros. Pictures/Universal

Who better to weigh in on Harry Potter casting rumors than Ralph Fiennes?

Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series, recently appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live! and received a question about who should play the Dark Lord in the upcoming HBO TV series. When one fan suggested Cillian Murphy should play Voldemort, Fiennes enthusiastically agreed.

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“Cillian is a fantastic actor,” said Fiennes. “That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.”

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Murphy is coming off universal praise for his Oscar-winning role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Murphy is currently filming a Peaky Blinders movie for Netflix.

Who does Ralph Fiennes think could play Voldemort in the new Harry Potter series? #WWHL pic.twitter.com/Rq4I0SW2rf

— Watch What Happens Live! (@BravoWWHL) December 3, 2024

Fiennes first appeared as Voldemort in the franchise’s fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Fiennes would star in subsequent entries, including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

A Harry Potter TV series has been in development since 2021. HBO officially greenlit the series in 2023 to stream exclusively on Max. Warner Bros. Discovery later shifted its strategy and announced the Harry Potter series would move from Max to HBO.

In June, Francesca Gardiner was named showrunner and executive producer of the Harry Potter TV show. Emmy winner Mark Mylod also signed on to direct and executive produce. Per HBO, the series will be a “faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling.”

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed plans to release the Harry Potter TV series in 2026. However, a recent Deadline report suggested the show is moving toward a 2027 premiere.

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