Kit Harington replaces Nicholas Hoult in ‘Harry Potter’ season 2

Kit Harington will now play the role of Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of the Harry Potter series after Nicholas Hoult dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts.

The series announced the new development on its Instagram account.

"Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to scheduling: Kit Harington will now be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart," it wrote.

Harington is no stranger to Lockhart's character, as he recently voiced the famous wizard in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Audible's Harry Potter audiobooks last year.

Referring to himself as a Harry Potter nerd, Harington previously shared with Variety that voicing Lockhart was an easy decision, saying that he has re-read the book series he loved as a kid.

“It was a really simple yes, because I love the character,” Harington said about taking on the role of Lockhart in the audiobooks. 

“As far as cameos in a series go, you don’t get much more entertaining and fun to do as an actor than Gilderoy Lockhart. It was a no-brainer," he added.

Lockhart is a famous but arrogant wizard who becomes Hogwarts’ new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, despite being unqualified for the job. He was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The upcoming second season of the Harry Potter series is based on Chamber of Secrets and will begin filming this fall.

The series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter,  Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. Other cast memebers includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.