{"id":312823,"date":"2026-03-04T16:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/312823\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:43:08","slug":"could-cillian-murphy-play-voldemort-in-the-harry-potter-series-actor-finally-speaks-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/312823\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Cillian Murphy play Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, actor finally speaks out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\tFans slipped Cillian Murphy into Voldemort’s robes long before HBO could, then the actor spoke up. Is the Dark Lord mystery solved, or only getting stranger?\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Cillian Murphy has shut down the Voldemort chatter, telling The Times he isn\u2019t involved with HBO\u2019s Harry Potter series. Ralph Fiennes had helped fuel the rumor mill, but the Dark Lord slot remains open. Meanwhile, the rest of the ensemble is taking shape, with Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton joining Paapa Essiedu, John Lithgow and Nick Fros. Murphy, for his part, is busy sharpening Thomas Shelby for Peaky Blinders: L\u2019Immortel, arriving March 20 on Netflix.<\/p>\n

HBO reignites the magic with a new Harry Potter series<\/p>\n

HBO is pressing ahead with a fresh Harry Potter series, a page-by-page return to J.K. Rowling\u2019s novels. The promise is simple, and enticing: familiar chapters, new faces, sharper stakes. Indeed, early casting drips have reignited debates about who should channel the saga\u2019s darkest aura, Lord Voldemort included. For longtime fans, the question feels personal, and the temperature of speculation has risen fast.<\/p>\n

A whirlwind of rumors: Cillian Murphy as Voldemort<\/p>\n

Cillian Murphy, lauded for flinty intensity in Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer, quickly became the fandom\u2019s pick for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Rumors swelled after Ralph Fiennes praised him as a strong choice in a red-carpet chat, and whispers spread fast online. Could anyone truly match Fiennes\u2019s spectral chill? For a moment, Murphy looked like the rare actor who might, and timelines filled with fan art, edits, and fervent pitch decks.<\/p>\n

\"Voldemort\"<\/p>\n

Cillian Murphy debunks Voldemort casting claims<\/p>\n

Then came clarity. Speaking to The Times (late February), Cillian Murphy shut the door with two brisk words: \u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d He even joked about making that the headline. He praised the enduring pull of Potter, thanked fans for the enthusiasm, and made plain that he is not part of HBO\u2019s casting conversations. The buzz kept humming, but the actor\u2019s position was unambiguous.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s stepping into the wizarding shoes<\/p>\n

With Voldemort still open, the series has quietly locked several pillars. The approach looks faithful to the books, yet alert to character texture. In addition to the central trio, other foundational roles are set, sketching the contours of a new Hogwarts and a fresh set of dynamics for a new generation to discover.<\/p>\n

Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
\nAlastair Stout as Ron Weasley
\nArabella Stanton as Hermione Granger
\nPaapa Essiedu as Severus Snape
\nJohn Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
\nNick Fros as Rubeus Hagrid<\/p>\n

Fans now watch for the final piece, the antagonist who will test this ensemble\u2019s range and define the show\u2019s darkest corners.<\/p>\n

Cillian Murphy focuses on Peaky Blinders film<\/p>\n

Murphy\u2019s calendar is hardly empty. He returns to Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders: L\u2019Immortel, a feature-length chapter arriving on Netflix on March 20. The timing tells its own story, a performer choosing one mythology while saluting another. He has carried Thomas Shelby through years of evolution (the character he has led for over a decade), and that arc continues with cinematic bite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fans slipped Cillian Murphy into Voldemort’s robes long before HBO could, then the actor spoke up. Is the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-312823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}