‘Harry Potter’ Star Ralph Fiennes Says He “Would Be All In Favor” Of Cillian Murphy To Take Over Voldemort Role In HBO Series

Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film saga, has an idea about who should play the villain in the HBO TV series.

In a new interview, Fiennes named Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy as the actor who should play the villain in the television adaptation.

“Cillian is a fantastic actor,” Fiennes said while making an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live after a view suggested the 28 Days Later star. “That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.”

Fiennes first played Voldemort in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth installment of the film saga. The Maid in Manhattan actor would then reprise his 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.

RELATED: ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Due To Hit HBO In 2026: Everything We Know About The Cast, Who’s Creating It, What J.K. Rowling Says & More

The Harry Potter TV series is due to hit HBO in 2026. Casey Bloys said the show would be “a faithful adaptation” of JK Rowling’s books and “dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”

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.

Last month, Deadline broke the news that Framestore VFX was in talks to bring the magical world of Harry Potter back to life for the HBO series.