A new name has leapt to the front of the race to predict who will play Voldemort in the Harry Potter adaptation for TV.
After HBO this week anointed three young actors as Harry, Hermione and Ron for a new generation, speculation has ramped up for who will play the trio’s arch nemesis.
Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout have been cast in the lead roles to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, after over 30,000 young hopefuls threw their name into the sorting hat at the casting director’s office.
The production had already shared a swathe of casting announcements, with John Lithgow set to play headmaster Albus Dumbledore, I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu taking on Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
The Potterheads are now waiting for the rest of the cast to be announced, with our new Voldemort still missing from the roster.
The leading contender for the spot is said to be British actor Tom Hiddleston. No stranger to playing a baddie, Hiddleston is probably best known as Marvel’s impish Loki.
The 44-year-old is currently leading early predictions, according to Online Betting Guide, who have put him at 1/1 odds.
He’s followed by Peaky Blinders Cillian Murphy at 6/4, who previously had something of an edge after the original Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes gave Murphy his blessing.
Fiennes was asked to address weeks of speculation Murphy would take over the role during an interview on Watch What Happens Live.
Who do you think would be the best Voldemort?
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Tom Hiddleston
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Cillian Murphy
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Paul Bettany
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Benedict Cumberbatch
He said: ‘Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.’
Following Hiddleston and Murphy in the bookies’ reckoning is another Marvel star, with Paul Bettany at 3/1. Then in fourth is yet another Marvel alum – maybe willingness to be in one franchise means you’re more likely to do it again – with Benedict Cumberbatch at 6/1.
This comes after HBO finally shed light on how much the TV adaptation of JK Rowling’s smash books is going to cost, after astronomical figures had been bandied about.
Would Tom Hiddleston make a good Voldemort?
Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her take…
Tom Hiddleston’s tenure as Loki in the Marvel franchise is riddled (get it) with moments proving he has a strong Voldemort performance in him. Think back to when he went full panto villain at Comic-Con in 2013, emerging from the dark with the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
He’s certainly capable of playing a charismatic villain – but there’s the risk his charm may soften Voldemort’s edges. After all, who didn’t end up secretly loving Loki, even before we were meant to?
We want someone who’s truly terrifying to play Voldemort. Hairs upright on the back of your neck type of thing.
Perhaps an actor like Idris Elba would be a better fit, admittedly not currently in the conversation, but with a commanding presence and The Wire’s Stringer Bell as proof he knows how to play a complicated villain.
The budget reported so far would make the HBO show the most expensive ever to be made, trouncing Prime Video’s $465 million (£399 million) price tag for Rings of Power.
The Express reported each episode would cost £75 million to make, boosting the UK economy by billions.
However, a source close to the production has now confirmed to Metro that the reported figure is inaccurate.
Instead, the production costs will be on a par with Game of Thrones’ budget. The eighth season of the show was its most expensive, costing roughly $15 million (almost £12 million at the time) per episode.
The Harry Potter TV show will stream exclusively on Max in 2026.
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