Posted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: harry potter, matt smith

Harry Potter: Matt Smith Tackles Voldemort Rumor: "Ain't Gonna Be Me"

Checking in with TODAY, Matt Smith (Doctor Who, House of the Dragon) shut down rumors he would be playing Voldemort for HBO's Harry Potter.

Over the past few weeks, we've been getting a ton of casting news regarding HBO, showrunner/EP Francesca Gardiner, and director/EP Mark Mylod's upcoming Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley)-starring series adaptation of the "Harry Potter." But for this go-around, we're getting someone you might know shutting down a casting rumor that's been rumbling out there since the Cillian Murphy rumor was shot down. Checking in with TODAY's Craig Melvin to promote his new film Caught Stealing, Smith was asked if he had seen the reaction from social media to his playing Voldemort and heard the rumors that he had been or was going to be approached for the role.

"Can anyone play him after Ralph [Fiennes]? He was so good," Smith responded, referring to the award-winning actor Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of the iconic big bad from the novels and film series. After Melvin countered that Smith knows a thing or two about portraying some not-so-nice people, the host asked for a hypothetical response. "Hypothetically, who knows? " was Smith's follow-up, reaffirming how Fiennes' acting footsteps would be formidable to follow. "But good luck to whoever it is. It ain't gonna be me," Smith added, putting to rest any rumbles that might still be out there.

The stories from each of the Harry Potter books will become (from the initial statement that was released when the series news first dropped) "a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

Also joining McLaughlin, Stanton, and Stout are Paapa Essiedu as Prof. Severus Snape John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. In addition, we have Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley, Gabriel Harland as George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, and Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley.

The series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by the creator of "Harry Potter," Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.

On the production side, we have a lineup of department heads that includes Adriano Goldman (Director of Photography), Cate Hall (Hair and Makeup Designer), Paul Herbert (Stunt Coordinator), Mark Holt (SFX Supervisor), Mara LePere-Schloop (Production Designer), Naomi Moore (Set Decorator), John Nolan (Creature Effects Design Supervisor), Alexis Wajsbrot (VFX Supervisor), Dom Sidoli (VFX Producer), and Holly Waddington (Costume Designer).

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