As HBO’s ambitious Harry Potter reboot gathers momentum, speculation around who will inherit the role of Lord Voldemort is beginning to intensify. Several A-listers have already surfaced in fan discussions. Now, WandaVision star Paul Bettany has also been swept into the rumor mill, prompting the actor to address the speculation surrounding the coveted role.

When ScreenRant asked Paul Bettany about rumors tying him to Lord Voldemort in HBO's Harry Potter television series, the actor shut it down quickly.

“I have not heard anything about that,” he shared.

“I mean, I am a big fan of the IP, and I am a big fan of HBO, but nobody has called me up about it.”

Names like Cillian Murphy and Tilda Swinton have also swirled for the dark lord role, famously embodied by Ralph Fiennes before, as the seven-season reboot films away in the United Kingdom. The project boasts fresh faces in the core trio: Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron.

With Lox Pratt stepping in as Draco Malfoy, seasoned actors round out the faculty, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Hagrid. Recent announcements added Quidditch stars like Orson Matthews as Oliver Wood.

While Bettany stays out of the wizarding world for now, HBO's launch timeline spells big news for Potter fans.

HBO narrows Harry Potter series premiere

HBO is sharpening its focus on launch plans as production hums along for the J.K. Rowling adaptation. Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, narrowed the timeline in a recent Deadline interview: “We have been saying 2027. I would say, to narrow it down to some extent, early 2027.”

He held back on pinpointing January through April, but the buzz points to a first-quarter kickoff. Bloys had teased “late ’26-’27” back in September 2024, when writers were just starting.

That window has tightened to early 2027, building massive hype for what Warner Bros. Discovery dubs the streaming event of the decade. At Warner Bros., fingers may be crossed that Bettany gets the call; his fan status alone makes him a dream pick.

What do you think of Paul Bettany's answer? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Pratham Gurung

Edited by

Hriddhi Maitra