Kit Harington is heading from Westeros to Hogwarts. The ‘Game of Thrones’ star has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ television series, taking over the role from Nicholas Hoult.

Hoult had been announced for the part earlier this month, but he has now left the production after changes to the filming schedule created conflicts with his other commitments. HBO subsequently brought Harington on board for the role.

Lockhart will feature prominently in the season based on ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. At Hogwarts, he takes charge of Defence Against the Dark Arts and quickly establishes himself as a celebrity wizard who is far more interested in his reputation than in proving his abilities in the classroom.

The character was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation of ‘Chamber of Secrets’. Harington will now offer a new interpretation of the flamboyant and self-promoting wizard for HBO’s long-form adaptation.

Interestingly, Harington has already played Lockhart in another format. He provided the character’s voice for the recent ‘Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions’, giving him an unusual head start before taking the role into live action.

The recasting is one of the notable changes ahead of the second season. The first season is adapting the opening ‘Harry Potter’ story, while the following season will move into the events of ‘The Chamber of Secrets’.

For Harington, the role represents a very different kind of character from Jon Snow, the brooding hero who made him internationally famous. Lockhart is confident, theatrical and obsessed with his own image, giving the actor an opportunity to explore a much lighter and more comic side of his performance.

His return to an HBO production also adds another connection to the network after his years on ‘Game of Thrones’. The actor has since taken on a range of different projects, including the HBO drama ‘Industry’.

The casting is already attracting attention among ‘Harry Potter’ fans, particularly because Harington has previously voiced Lockhart. That experience could give him a distinctive understanding of the character when the second season arrives.