Paul Bettany debunks rumor he’s playing Voldemort in HBO’s Harry Potter show

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Paul Bettany has shot down the rumor that he’s playing Voldemort in HBO’s Harry Potter show.

The series is getting a fresh start, with each book in the Harry Potter franchise being turned into a single season of a new show. A new group of actors will play the main characters, including Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron.

The upcoming HBO series based on Harry Potter has cast some well-known actors, with John Lithgow taking on the role of Professor Dumbledore and Nick Frost playing Hagrid.

Ever since the new series was announced, people have been guessing who will play Voldemort. Recently, many fans thought Marvel actor Paul Bettany might be taking on the role, but he has now confirmed he won’t be playing the Dark Lord.

Paul Bettany says nobody from HBO has called him about Voldemort

I was chatting with Jeremy Bettany at the Saturn Awards, and he told ScreenRant that he hasn’t had any conversations with HBO about potentially playing Voldemort in a new Harry Potter series. He said he’s a huge fan of the franchise and thinks HBO does great work, but so far, nobody’s reached out to him about the role. It’s a bummer, because I think he’d be amazing!

It’s possible Bettany’s statements are meant to mislead, especially with so much discussion about how the upcoming HBO series will differ from the popular films.

It’s no surprise fans would love to see Jeremy Bettany as Voldemort – he’s proven he can play a wide range of characters. Besides being famous for his role as Vision in the Marvel movies, he’s also played memorable villains like Dryden Vos in Solo: A Star Wars Story and complex figures like Stephen Maturin in Master and Commander.

It’s happened before: a big star initially says they aren’t in a movie, but then ends up appearing in it. Marvel fans will recall Andrew Garfield claiming he wasn’t in Spider-Man: No Way Home before surprisingly showing up near the end of the film with Tobey Maguire.

Bettany isn’t the only actor who’s had to clarify they weren’t cast as Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. Cillian Murphy, known for Peaky Blinders, previously confirmed he wasn’t playing the villain either, back in early March.

Cillian Murphy confirms he isn’t playing Voldemort in HBO’s ‘HARRY POTTER’ series

“I’m categorically not, can you make that the headline?”

(via: The Times)

— ScreenTime (@screentime) March 2, 2026

It’s currently unknown who will take on the role of Voldemort after Ralph Fiennes, and HBO probably won’t reveal the new actor until the series premieres in early 2027.

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2026-03-09 15:21