Batman Begins actor Cillian Murphy has been a fan-favorite pick to play the villainous Voldemort in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series since we first got word on the project, and several reliable sources have indicated that he did take some meetings about potentially taking on the role.
Now, the Oppenheimer Oscar-winner has finally set the record straight.
“No, my kids show me it occasionally, but no, I don’t know anything about that," Murphy said while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "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.”
For what it's worth, Feinnes recently admitted that he'd be all for Murphy taking over as Voldemort. “Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.”
Interestingly, Murphy has also been rumored to be in line to play Professor Quirinus Quirrell, but that role was recently filled (see below).
So far, Voldemort is the only major character that hasn't been cast (or announced, at least), so there's a chance HBO has either decided to keep the actor under wraps, or the villain won't actually appear in the first season.
Harry Potter's principal cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as the titular Boy Wizard, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve) is on board as showrunner and executive producer, with Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) enlisted as executive producer and director of multiple episodes.
The show's official logline reads: "The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. 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 twenty-five 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."
Warner Bros. TV boss Channing Dungey said last year that the series will be “more in-depth than you can in just a two-hour film… that’s the whole reason we’re on this journey.”