Ralph Fiennes has shared who he’d want to see play Lord Voldemort in HBO‘s upcoming series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Fiennes recently appeared on BBC’s The Claudia Winkleman Show and was asked for his opinion on who should take over the villain role, which has not yet been cast.
“I remember being asked the question, ‘Would I reprise the part?’ This was some years ago. And I said, ‘Yes, I’d love to,’” he said. “But then nothing’s happened, and I think that ship has sailed.”
Though he finally admitted, “I’ll tell you, Tilda Swinton was mentioned somewhere as being a contender, and I think she would be amazing.”
Swinton is known for her Oscar-winning performance in Michael Clayton and for her portrayal of the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia. Her credits also include Suspiria, Snowpiercer, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Asteroid City and The Room Next Door, among many more.
The 28 Years Later star played Voldemort in five of the eight Harry Potter films, led by Daniel Radcliffe.
Last year, Cillian Murphy addressed rumors that he would play the character in the series. However, he shut them down, telling Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: “I don’t know anything about that. I mean, also, it’s just really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does. The man is an absolute acting legend. So, good luck to whoever is going to fill those shoes.”
As for the rest of the new ensemble, the cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a reimagining of J.K. Rowling’s seven-part book series and the Warner Bros. franchise. Francesca Gardiner (Succession) serves as showrunner with Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones) directing several episodes. The show premieres Christmas 2026 on HBO, and will stream exclusively on HBO Max.
