Ralph Fiennes tips Cillian Murphy as Voldemort in new Harry Potter series

Ralph Fiennes has tipped Cillian Murphy to play Lord Voldermort in the blockbuster Harry Potter series.

Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s international best selling books about the boy wizard, has said the Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders star should play the villain in the big budget television adaptation.

“Cillian is a fantastic actor,” Fiennes said while making an appearance on Bravo TV’s Watch What Happens Live after a viewer suggested the Irish star would be good for the role. “That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favour of Cillian. Yeah.”

Fiennes, who is currently starring in the film Conclave, first played Voldemort in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth instalment of the film saga.

The actor reprised the role in 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and the two-part finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Harry Potter TV series is due to hit HBO in 2026.

“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,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content about the project, which he also assured fans would be “a faithful adaptation.”

Succession duo Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod have signed up as its writer and director, respectively.

Gardiner will serve as showrunner and executive producer, and Mylod will direct multiple episodes and serve as executive producer.

Framestore VFX is in to bring the magical world of Harry Potter back to life for the HBO series.

Killing Eve scriptwriter Laura Neal has joined the writers room for the project.

The show may enlist a key player from the films to bring viewers back to the world of Hogwarts: Framestore, British VFX company.

Ralph's comments come after Sir Mark Rylance was recently linked to the part of Albus Dumbledore in the TV series.

The Wolf Hall actor is said to be "top of the casting wish list" for the show.

Warner Bros. Reportedly "reached out" to the 64-year-old actor to "gauge interest and availability".

But a representative for HBO told the outlet: "We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation.

"As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals."

In the Harry Potter films, Richard Harris portrayed Dumbledore in the first two films, but Michael Gambon took over for the remaining six movies following Richard's death in 2002, aged 72.

In September, an open casting call was launched to find a new trio to take on the parts of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who were played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson respectively in the movies.

The casting call read: "We are currently only able to consider children who are aged 9-11 in April 2025, and a resident of the UK or Ireland.

"Please only apply if you meet the brief."

In the initial round of casting, candidates are invited to submit two self-taped audition videos in their native accent.

The first has to be a short story or poem - "nothing from Harry Potter" - which lasts no longer than 30 seconds.

For the second clip, which can be up to a minute, they are asked: "Please record a short video telling us a bit about yourself, including your date of birth, height and where you live.

"In addition, please describe any family member, friend or pet that you are particularly close to."

Each season of the Harry Potter series will focus on one book in the Harry Potter series, which consists of seven novels, but Bloys said the project would run for “10 consecutive years.”

Bloys added: “We do so with the full care and craft of this franchise.”

In June, Rowling posted that Gardiner and Myeloid: “Both have a genuine passion for #HarryPotter, and having read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations.”

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletterhere.