Casting controversies have plagued the new HBO Max reboot of the Harry Potter series, with fans regularly expressing disappointment about seeing their favourite actor join forces with well-known transphobe JK Rowling. Indeed, Tom Felton, who will be reprising his role as Malfoy on Broadway, recently received a lot of criticism for his rather dismissive comments regarding the author’s tirade against trans communities. And now, people are starting to worry about the possibility that we might lose our favourite Irish heartthrob to the franchise.

A number of news outlets have recently hinted at the fact that Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is currently predicted to be the frontrunner to play Voldemort in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.

@tonez_tv

Will Cillian Murphy be casted to play Voldemort? #harrypotter #harrypottertiktok #voldemort #cillianmurphy #ronweasley #hermionegranger #hbomax #max #hbo #show #news

♬ original sound - Tonez_TV 🐉

Back in February, Ralph Fiennes—the man who originated the role of Voldemort in the film franchise—publicly endorsed Murphy, telling interviewers: “He’ll be fantastic, he’s a great great actor, of course he’ll be wonderful.”

@officialspin1038

“He’ll be wonderful”⚡️ SPIN caught up with #RalphFiennes at the opening of the Dublin International Film Festival, and got his take on #CillianMurphy taking over the role of Lord #Voldemort🐍 What do you think of Cillian joining the #HarryPotter series? For more see spin1038.com #irish #film #News #Dublin

♬ original sound - SPIN 1038

Fans of the Oppenheimer star have been taking to social media in droves, making it abundantly clear that they do not want Murphy to take on this role. And if he does, he very well might experience a serious drop in public support.

We're all boycotting Cillian Murphy if he's in that Harry Potter show right?

— Haala ہالہ 🚬 (@haalasback) April 25, 2025

gretchen, stop trying to make cillian murphy in the harry potter series happen! it's not going to happen! pic.twitter.com/rz4MPUHEXj

— belle (@cllianmrphy) April 12, 2025

just saw a post saying cillian is being considered for the role of lord voldemort in the hp max series pic.twitter.com/vDMwO8LCID

— tommy shelby apologist (@cilliancore) October 4, 2023

When asked about any announcements regarding a casting decision on the Dark Lord, Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. TV CEO, maintained every composure. Speaking with Deadline, the exec stated: “You’re missing [Voldemort] in your deck, because we are still weighing a couple of different options there, so we’re not quite ready there yet. That’s an important role to get right.”

And when the interviewer pushed Dungey to make a comment regarding the favouritism surrounding Murphy, the CEO simply replied: “I have no comment, no comment, no comment.”

Murphy himself has also made no inclinations that he might be joining the cast. The Irish actor is notoriously anti-social and so it’s likely that he isn’t even fully aware of the online discussions going on right now. Only time will tell who will take on this rather iconic role.