Rumor about Harry Potter series: Paul Bettany is top candidate for central role

It has not yet been announced who will play the villain Lord Voldemort in the new "Harry Potter" TV series. But now there is new speculation about Paul Bettany as a possible actor. According to Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman, he is the preferred candidate of the HBO network.

Many viewers will know Bettany primarily from another blockbuster franchise: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There, he first lent his voice to J.A.R.V.I.S., an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. In "Avengers: Age of Ultron", he appeared for the first time as the android Vision. He also played this role in "Captain America: Civil War" and the series "WandaVision," among others. With his appearance as the antagonist Dryden Vos in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," he appeared in another major franchise – and showed that he can also be convincing as a villain.

Speculation about Paul Bettany as Voldemort

Rumors about Bettany possibly being cast as Voldemort were already circulating last year. There was also speculation that HBO wanted to wait until the series launches in 2027 to reveal who will play Harry Potter's arch-enemy. It remains to be seen whether it will actually take that long for us to find out for sure. It's possible that HBO simply wants to maintain the suspense and has already made its decision. But perhaps it's not so easy to find the right actor for this central role in the "Harry Potter" universe.

In any case, the other main actors have already been confirmed. Dominic McLaughlin will play the title character Harry Potter, Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger. John Lithgow has been cast as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall.

There were also rumors about Cillian Murphy as Voldemort

In addition to Bettany, "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy was also considered a candidate for the role of Voldemort until recently. Speculation about Murphy gained momentum thanks to Ralph Fiennes, of all people. The actor had previously played Lord Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" film series. When Fiennes was asked at a red carpet appearance for his film "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" who he thought would be a good successor to Voldemort, he named Murphy. He hinted that the decision had already been made. Even though he immediately backtracked, sounding somewhat uncertain.

Murphy himself recently commented on the rumors and clearly denied them. "I'm categorically not. Can you make that the headline?" he told the British newspaper The Times in no uncertain terms.

Harry Potter: Seven seasons are planned

Following the film series starring Daniel Radcliffe, the new "Harry Potter" series is already the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's fantasy novels. Like the books and films, the TV series is about Harry Potter being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a young boy. There, over the years, he is trained as a wizard, meets his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and confronts the sinister villain Lord Voldemort. There will be a total of seven seasons, with each season corresponding to one of Rowling's seven books in terms of story. The first season of "Harry Potter," with a total of eight episodes, is scheduled to premiere on HBO in 2027.

In addition to showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, J.K. Rowling is also involved as an executive producer. Her hugely successful "Harry Potter" books made her an internationally acclaimed author. In recent years, however, she has been the subject of much criticism. She has been accused of repeatedly making derogatory comments about transgender people. In light of her involvement in the HBO production, some critics have called for a boycott of the "Harry Potter" series.