Tilda Swinton floated as potential Voldemort in HBO's Harry Potter series

Movieweb reports that Tilda Swinton has been floated as a front‑runner to play Lord Voldemort in HBO’s planned seven‑season Harry Potter series, though the idea is currently a rumor as production nears the end of Season 1.

The piece notes other casting news already announced — Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alistair Stout as Ron, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and veterans John Lithgow and Janet McTeer as Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall — and says Cillian Murphy was previously rumored but denied talks. Swinton’s history of gender‑fluid and androgynous roles (Orlando, Constantine, Doctor Strange, Suspiria) is cited as a reason she could plausibly play a gender‑fluid or female Voldemort, and the article also recalls she once turned down a Potter role and has criticized boarding‑school settings, calling her own West Heath experience "Hell."

The report adds potential obstacles: an April 2025 image of Swinton wearing a "Protect the Dolls" T‑shirt and Rowling’s public anti‑trans rhetoric might deter her from participating, and the showrunners have promised a "very faithful" adaptation — leaving it unclear whether a female or gender‑fluid Voldemort would be embraced. For now the casting remains unconfirmed and the idea is speculative.

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Culture, Tilda Swinton, Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter, Hbo, J.k. Rowling