Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes wants Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy as Voldemort
Fiennes is ready to pass the infamous Harry Potter villain role to someone new.
Ralph Fiennes has spoken out about who he would like to pass the Voldemort mantle over to in the upcoming HBO series – and it's none other than Oscar award-winning Cillian Murphy.
Appearing on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Fiennes was asked about the rumours circulating around Murphy joining the upcoming Harry Potter series.
He said: "Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favour of Cillian. Yeah."
While Fiennes's support for the Peaky Blinders actor is admirable, Fiennes previously did state that he would be up for reprising the Harry Potter villain role should the opportunity arise again.
In 2022, Fiennes said that if Warner Bros (or JK Rowling) were to approach him for any future Harry Potter projects, there would be "no question about it".
Fiennes of course played Lord Voldemort, the major Harry Potter antagonist, for a total of four films, first appearing in the role in 2005's The Goblet of Fire.
Fiennes is known for various roles on stage and in film and TV but can currently be seen in Conclave, a movie that he says is by no means a "cynical takedown of the Catholic Church".
As for Murphy, he is busy working away on the upcoming Peaky Blinders film, having also recently starred in Small Things Like These.
As of now, nothing has been confirmed in terms of the HBO Harry Potter series and its casting but we do know that it won't be arriving on our screens until 2027.
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Although it was previously expected to land in 2026, HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys told Deadline that it would be "late '26-'27", and added that "writers are just getting started so it’s too soon to talk about air date".
Francesca Gardiner – who is known for her work on His Dark Materials and The Rook – is serving as showrunner for the series, while Mark Mylod serves as director for multiple episodes, as well as executive producing the show.
The synopsis for the show states that it will "be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer JK Rowling".
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It continues: "The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years.
"Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
