Ralph Fiennes, Cillian Murphy Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images; Presley Ann/Getty Images
Ralph Fiennes agrees with Harry Potter fans’ pick to fill his shoes as Voldemort in the upcoming TV adaptation.
During the Monday, December 2, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Fiennes, 61, was asked by viewers who he thinks would be an “excellent choice” to play the dark wizard on the small screen. In particular, he was asked for his thoughts on online chatter that Cillian Murphy should take on the role.
Much to fans’ delight, Fiennes gave Murphy, 48, his stamp of approval. “Cillian is a fantastic actor. I actually think that’s a wonderful suggestion,” he told host Andy Cohen and fellow guest Stephanie Hsu. “I would be all in favor of Cillian.”
Voldemort was originally voiced by Richard Bremmer in the first Harry Potter film, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while Christian Coulson played the young version of the villain in 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Fiennes made his Voldemort debut in the series’ fourth installment, 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
A new Harry Potter TV series is officially in the works. During the Warner Bros. Discovery presentation in April 2023, the network revealed they were moving forward with a TV reboot of J.K. Rowling’s iconic novels for their streaming service, Max, with a the “decade-long series” that will feature a whole new cast. Rowling, who […]
He continued to portray Harry Potter’s mortal enemy throughout the remainder of the film franchise, which concluded with 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. With the help of his friends, the eighth film ends with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) saving the Wizarding World by defeating Voldemort once and for all.
Murphy, for his part, has experience in the villain department, playing several antagonists over the years in projects such as Red Eye and Batman Begins. Campaigns for Murphy’s casting of Voldemort come one month after Variety reported that Mark Rylance is at the top of the list to play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, played in the films by the late actors Richard Harris and Michael Gambon.
Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort Warner Bros.
No casting has been announced for HBO Max’s Harry Potter TV series, which was first confirmed in April 2023. The series, which is expected to premiere in 2026, will dedicate one season to each of J.K. Rowling’s seven Harry Potter novels.
“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” Casey Bloys, the Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said in an April 2023 statement, per Deadline. “Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”
Over the course of 10 years, the stars of Harry Potter brought magic, mischief and more to millions of fans around the world. Based on the series of seven books by J.K. Rowling, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint captured the hearts of viewers between 2001 and 2011 as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger […]
Back in September, the show put out an open casting call to find young actors to play the story’s main trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. The casting call — submissions for which have since closed — stated that the series was looking for “children who are aged 9-11 in April 2025, and a resident of the U.K. or Ireland.”
Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort Warner Bros.
The casting method was reminiscent of the original films, as Emma Watson and Rupert Grint scored their roles as Hermione and Ron, respectively, through an open casting call. Already a child actor, Radcliffe, 35, was asked to audition for Harry by producer David Heyman.
While Fiennes is now happy to pass the torch, he previously stated that he would be open to returning as Voldemort in another Harry Potter project. “Sure, of course,” he told Variety in November 2022. “No question about it.”
